Background: Communication between farmers and veterinary surgeons is reported to differ when involving abattoir rejection data on cattle or sheep.
Methods: Using surveys, distributed online and on paper at livestock markets, this study describes the interest and positive opinion of a sample of UK cattle and sheep farmers in receiving abattoir data.
Results: Forty-nine per cent of respondents always received abattoir data (n=37/76). Over 80 per cent of respondents were interested in all suggested rejection conditions and particularly liver fluke and respiratory conditions. Eighty-two per cent of farmers were willing to share data with their veterinary surgeon as the information could be used to inform health plans.
Conclusion: The study findings indicate that having an accurate and consistent data system, which is easily accessible to farmers and veterinary surgeons, appears an essential next step to improve the use of existing abattoir data and enhance animal health, welfare and production.
Keywords: abattoir rejection data; cattle and sheep welfare; communication; farmer opinion; health plans; official veterinarian.
© British Veterinary Association 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.