Progressive projects
Exciting discovery, breakthrough development and efficient delivery. Progress happens at Iechyd Da.
If you’re looking to make a difference, you need a delivery partner that does things differently. We’ve built a cooperative hub that collaborates on life changing projects that really make a difference to farmers, livestock and wider society. We work with you and for you. The result? Better lives for all.
Pembrokeshire TB Pilot
Tackling deep-seated levels of TB in Pembrokeshire.
The Pembrokeshire project is a five-year delivery plan exploring new measures to tackle bovine TB in Pembrokeshire. It also aims to promote collaboration between vets and farmers, empowering them to take the lead and make informed decisions on disease control.
The project is funded by Welsh Government and delivered by Iechyd Da and the Sêr Cymru Centre of Excellence for bovine TB (CBTB) at Aberystwyth University to integrate research and development with practical veterinary work to support and strengthen bTB control.
The project approach is a combination of data analysis and social science. From the training of vets and farmers to improve knowledge of bTB to biosecurity tools, skin test results to farmer surveys and beyond. Encompassing but not limited to diagnostics, this project integrates research and development with
practical veterinary work to support and strengthen bTB control.
Arwain DGC (Promoting the resonsible use of Antimicrobials)
Reducing the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals and the environment in Wales.
Aiming to reduce the need to use antimicrobials such as antibiotics by improving productivity, animal health and welfare through new and innovative technology and promoting ‘good practice’.
Iechyd Da has played a pivotal role in the creation and continued development of the Arwain DGC scheme. Back in 2016 following the publication of the O’Neill report on antimicrobial resistance, Iechyd Da’s board developed its own scheme to promote responsible antibiotic use in livestock practices in Wales.
Iechyd Da presented the self-created framework to Bristol Universities’ “AMR task force” and the outcome was the establishment of the innovative Arwain Vet Cymru scheme. This created a Wales-wide network of Veterinary Prescribing Champions (VPCs) which has subsequently become the blueprint for similar schemes across the world.
Arwain DGC builds on the pioneering work of this earlier project. The scheme is funded by the Welsh Government and is delivered by Iechyd Da, alongside other partnering organisations.
For further information about the scheme…
Farm Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (FAVSNET)
Collecting disease symptom data from across Wales in one place.
FAVSNET aims to protect animal welfare, public health, and the economy and contributes to the ‘One Health’ approach to human, animal, plant, and environmental well-being, using data.
Iechyd Da in collaboration with Wales Veterinary Science Centre (WVSC) and the University of Liverpool are conducting a syndromic surveillance pilot. This data collection has the potential to monitor the health status of livestock populations and potentially issue alerts to the possibility of new and emerging (or re-emerging) diseases. By detecting and responding to health threats early, informed interventions such as targeted vaccinations, biosecurity measures and treatment protocols can be implemented promptly to stop further spread or, even better, avoid disease altogether.
Liverpool universities FAVSNET system aims to develop a new methodology for collecting data from farm animal electronic health records which is then deidentified and used for surveillance and research.
To date the project has received information on over 20,000, mostly farm animal consultations from 3 veterinary practices from across Wales. The project team have enrolled a 4th practice and are awaiting the arrival of data from this practice.
The aim of the system is to analyse keywords in the clinical records and then use this information to investigate whether any trends in syndromic disease incidence can be picked up and related back to medicine use. It is hoped that by integrating the syndromic surveillance information with that from antimicrobial use it may be possible to identify priority areas of disease control to reduce the need to use antibiotics.
Herdsafe App
Enhancing farm biosecurity and reducing the need for antibiotics – all in one application.
The Biosecurity App trials, organised by Iechyd Da, feature 7 vet practices and 20 farms across Wales. The current trial builds on the same workstream in the first iteration of Arwain DGC.
The App workstream is designed to help farmers and their vets find solutions to biosecurity issues. By using the Biosecurity App, areas for improvement can be easily identified, enabling the farm’s vet to give practical advice on making three priority improvements whilst offering the opportunity to anonymously benchmark their biosecurity against other participating farms.
It works by each participating farm using the application along with their vet to generate a numerical score and assign a 1 to 5 star biosecurity rating based on initial assessments. Following on from the initial assessment the farmer and vet will agree a strategic control plan in the form of a set of agreed tasks to reduce risks. These changes generate a new risk-improved score to offer a numerical value to the benefit of the biosecurity improvements. Working with the farmers for nine to 12 months, vets will produce personalised biosecurity ‘risk scores” at the start and at the end to give a measure of progress.
Up to now, the App trials have demonstrated that this approach can reduce the risk of spreading infectious diseases from farm to farm. In the first stage pilot 60% of the recommendations were implemented, resulting in healthier and more productive livestock, reduced disease, and a reduced need for antibiotics.
Improvements continue to be made, including adding specific disease section for each species.
Trawsgoed Dairy Farm
Collaborating with Aberystwyth University on Trawsgoed dairy farm to support veterinary teaching and research.
Trawsgoed Farm is a University Farm, supporting the training and investigations of Aberystwyth’s veterinary undergraduates.
Trawsgoed is a 436 hectare farm consisting of flat land at about 60 metres above sea level in the Ystwyth Valley, rising to grazing at about 280 metres above sea level. It also has 100 hectares of managed woodlands comprising native trees and conifers and hosted the 2024 Royal Welsh sustainable grass event.
As a working robotic milking, beef and sheep farm with home-grown feeds and land resources, Trawsgoed Farm provides students with a breadth of on-farm experiences. The HerdSafe biosecurity app is used to measure the risk of spreading infectious diseases.
WALES VETERINARY SCIENCE CENTRE (wvsc)
Expert veterinary post-mortem examinations and disease diagnosis.
Wales Veterinary Science Centre (WVSC) was set up in 2015 by Iechyd Da in collaboration with Aberystwyth University. WVSC is a not-for-profit company wholly owned by Iechyd Da, which in addition to post-mortem examinations, also supports veterinary and agricultural sectors with diagnostic laboratory testing, advice and training.
Based in Aberystwyth, the Centre has an on-site post-mortem room with the ability to handle everything from chickens and lambs to camelids and bulls. The Centre is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 9934 priding itself on quality as well as providing a fast and efficient services to veterinary practices and farmers across Wales.
As well diagnostic services, our expert team also regularly provide university, veterinary and agricultural training. The team are more than willing to get involved with research and share their knowledge.
Being a part of this research project has been very interesting for me and I’m hopeful it will prove valuable to my business and others in my position. If you get the opportunity to be involved in anyway shape or form to make things better for other farmers, do it.
Roger Lewis
Farmer, Pembrokeshire TB Pilot Project
