Supervisor Database Search

• infectious disease and the immune system
• epidemiology/population health research
• one health
• nutrition
• preventive medicine/behavioural change interventions

• Veterinary Medicine

• Dermatology
• Infectious diseases
• Veterinary Epidemiology
• Veterinary Public Health

The UCD Veterinary Herd Health Team is the research group within which I have and continue to carry out most of my research. As a European Specialist in Bovine Health Management, my research has been in the area of bovine herd health. I have carried out research into Leptospira Hardjo in Irish Suckler/Beef herds and Mastitis in Irish and European dairy herds, particularly Staphylococcus aureus mastitis, resulting in publication in the Journal of Dairy Science. I have contributed to research within the group on bovine respirtory disease, dairy cow lameness, calf health and dairy cow fertility. As a senior clinician in the Farm Animal Hospital and a consultant veterinarian to vets and farmers around the country, I have published the first documentation of Bovine Besnoitiosis in Ireland and will publish the first documentation of Mycoplasma haemolamae in Irish alpaca. I have also published on Tuberculosis in Irish alpaca, including the epidemiology and subsequent herd management. In conjunction with my hospital work, I have contributed to the publication of a number of bovine surgical case studies and case series. With colleagues outside UCD, I am in the process of publishing important research into the difficulties around veterinary recruitment and retention in the Irish veterinary profession. Additionally, I also am a member of the Animal Health Ireland CellCheck Technical Working Group and have contributed to important research in the area of bovine mastitis control and policy making at a national level.

Sustainable Veterinary Herd Health Management Programmes (VHHMPs):
There are a great many challenges currently facing the Irish agricultural industry. These include greater feed and fertiliser costs associated with international shortages due to recent geopolitical events such as the war in Ukraine. Other challenges include the huge problems of antimicrobial resistance and anthelminthic resistance which threaten the health and welfare of our animals, as well as presenting a huge zoonotic risk to the human population. Indeed, by 2050, mortalities due to the effects of antimicrobial resistance are expected to be one of the most significant causes of human deaths at a world level. The impact of climate change on the future sustainability of all agricultural systems worldwide is and will continue to be a huge concern. In Ireland, we produce milk and meat from a seasonal grass-based system which is vastly different from most countries in the EU and around the world. Instead of indoor systems, traditionally associated with poorer animal welfare, our grass-based system has successfully produced high quality food for human consumption and has contributed hugely to the Irish government exchequer through an excess of 6 billion euros of exports each year. However, the sustainability of our current practices and farming systems have been questioned, particularly with respect to cattle numbers and the associated production of greenhouse gases and the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). There is no doubt that greater efficiency will be needed to ensure that our dairy and beef grass-based systems will continue to be sustainable, as well as environmentally friendly, into the future. Animal health and welfare must be optimised, the risk of zoonotic disease minimised, the risks of AMR and anthelminthic resistance mitigated, and all within a framework of environmentally responsible farming. The veterinary profession can and must play a key role in guiding the Irish dairy and beef sectors through the coming years towards a sustainable and profitable future. In order to optimise the health of cattle and to minimise the risk to the human population, veterinary herd health management programmes (VHHMPs) are critical to success.
While VHHMPs have been on-going and researched to a high level in other European countries, e.g. the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom, little research has been carried out on their implementation in an Irish grass-based system. There is an urgent need for a body of research to identify, standardise, implement, assess and optimise VHHMPs tailored to the Irish farming situation. This research is required for each of the farming sectors, i.e. dairying, suckler farming and sheep farming.
Outline of Potential PhD(s): VHHMPs in Irish Dairy Herds
1) Veterinary Herd Health Management in Irish Dairy Herds Currently.
Identify a representative number of veterinary practitioners, veterinary practices and dairy farmer clients. Identify the current level of herd health management being carried out on those farms by veterinary practitioners, including the areas of mastitis control, fertility management, lameness control, infectious and parasitic disease control, calf health management and nutritional management. This will give an overview of veterinary herd health management in Irish dairy herds and provide a baseline from which to develop and assess the impact of further interventions. For herds with available Teagasc Profit Monitor data, the profitability of herds with varying levels of veterinary herd health management can be assessed.
2) Optimising Nutritional Management through the Development of Tailored VHHMPs
Identify a number of suitable herds where the farmer clients and the attending veterinary practitioners are positive about research into VHHMPs. These herds should be milk recording herds with access to ICBF milk recording data. A prospective 3 year study should be carried out to develop, implement and evaluate the success of veterinary-led nutritional management programmes. Success or progress should be assessed in a number of ways, including the incidence of metabolic disease, the level of antimicrobial usage in the herds, and the influence on profitability and sustainability of the study herds.
3) Optimising Fertility Management through the Development of Tailored VHHMPs
A prospective 3 year study should be carried out, using the same subset of herds, to develop, implement and evaluate the success of veterinary-led fertility management programmes. Success or progress should be assessed in a number of ways, including the incidence of uterine disease in the herds, submission rates, conception rates and pregnancy rates, and the influence of the fertility management programmes on profitability and sustainability of the study herds.
4) Optimising Mastitis Control through the Development of Tailored VHHMPs
A prospective 3 year study should be carried out, using the same subset of herds, to develop, implement and evaluate the success of veterinary-led mastitis control programmes. Success or progress should be assessed in a number of ways, including the incidence of clinical and subclinical mastitis in the herds, the level of antimicrobial usage, and the influence of the fertility management programmes on profitability and sustainability of the study herds.
5) Optimising Lameness Control through the Development of Tailored VHHMPs
A prospective 3 year study should be carried out, using the same subset of herds, to develop, implement and evaluate the success of veterinary-led lameness control programmes. Success or progress should be assessed in a number of ways, including the incidence of infectious and non-infectious lameness in the herds, the level of antimicrobial usage, and the influence of the lameness management programmes on profitability and sustainability of the study herds.
6) Optimising Calf |Health Management through the Development of Tailored VHHMPs
A prospective 3 year study should be carried out, using the same subset of herds, to develop, implement and evaluate the success of veterinary-led lameness control programmes. Success or progress should be assessed in a number of ways, including the incidence of failure of passive transfer, calf diarrhoea and calf pneumonia in the herds, the level of antimicrobial usage, and the influence of the calf health management programmes on profitability and sustainability of the study herds.
7) Optimising Infectious and Parasitic Disease Control through the Development of Tailored VHHMPs
A prospective 3 year study should be carried out, using the same subset of herds, to develop, implement and evaluate the success of veterinary-led infectious and parasitic disease control programmes. Success or progress should be assessed in a number of ways, including the incidence of infectious and parasitic disease in the herds, the level of antimicrobial usage, and the influence of the lameness management programmes on profitability and sustainability of the study herds.

Dr. Conor McAloon, Associate Professor in Farm Animal Clinical Studies, Herd Health and Husbandry Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4 - conor.mcaloon@ucd.ie.
Dr. Catherine McAloon, Assistant Professor in Farm Animal Clinical Studies, Herd Health and Husbandry Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4 - catherine.mcaloon@ucd.ie.
Dr. Finbar Mulligan, Associate Professor in Animal Nutrition, Herd Health and Husbandry Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4 - finbar.mulligan@ucd.ie.
Dr. Nola Leonard, Associate Professor in Microbiology, Pathobiology Section, School of Veterinary Medicine, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4 - nola.leonard@ucd.ie.