Fergal Morris, general manager, MSD Animal Health Ireland.
The Dealer fondly remembers the days when Fergal Morris and Seamus Maguire were the contact points for MSD Animal Health Ireland.
However, from acorns, grow oak trees. Fergal took over the role of general manager of MSD Animal Health Ireland from Seamus when he retired in 2017.
In 2020, MSD Animal Health reportedly paid out over €45m to Elanco for Vecoxan, the coccidiosis treatment product.
However, some of the other more recent investments see a move away from medicines and vaccines.
Just last year, MSD Animal Health acquired Identigen – the DNA traceback company founded in Trinity College for an undisclosed amount.
May 1, 2021, 3:00 pm
The heifer of today will be the cow of tomorrow, but the considerable time lag between birth and first calving, makes it difficult for some dairy farmers to recognize the impact of their rearing and replacement strategies at both a cow and farm level – this is according to a recent report by Animal Health Ireland (AHI).
An efficient heifer-rearing system is crucial as it determines the future income and sustainability of a dairy enterprise.
Following feeding costs, heifer rearing is the second largest expense to the dairy system, accounting for 20% of total costs.
Calving replacement dairy heifers at 24 months-old is a necessity, in order to obtain maximum lifetime productivity – particularly in seasonal calving pasture-based systems like those that predominate in Ireland.
Department U-turn on BVD calves farmersjournal.ie - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from farmersjournal.ie Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
March 4, 2021 7:42 am
Animal Health Ireland (AHI) needs to better communicate the changes in the updated Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) protocols – and should revisit compensation levels, according to the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA).
Commenting ICSA Animal Health and Welfare Committee chair Hugh Farrell again called for “adequate compensation” for BVD calves from the suckler herd and urged AHI to write to all breeding herd owners to outline updated BVD protocols for 2021.
“AHI has moved ahead with removing confirmatory second tests when determining the presence of BVD,” Farrell said.
This means the term PI or persistently infected is now obsolete, and all animals with one inconclusive test are for removal.