HARTPURY_POSTGRADUATE_PROSPECTUS_2023

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A HUGE STEP FORWARD

“High standards of neonatal calf management arevital for livestock health,welfare and productivity. My research should informstrategic interventions to support this – a huge step forward for the agricultural community. Stress and other factors, such as diet and the environment, affect the structure of gut microbiomes, which can subsequently have an adverse effect on a calf’s overall health. I’m examining how routine farm management events – grouping, housing, disbudding and weaning – impact on dairy calves' long-term health and wellbeing. I want to help farmers understand how early interventions, such as probiotics, could help support welfare, health and yield in lactating heifers."

Aisling Carroll PhD (microbiome, health and wellbeing in calves) student Lecturer, Hartpury University