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Webinar to look at equine sleep deprivation
The webinar will look at the causes, signs, and consequences of sleep deprivation.
The panel will feature experts from Hartpury and Aberystwyth universities.

Equine welfare charity World Horse Welfare will be hosting a webinar next week on sleep deprivation and its effect on horses.

Despite being part of the charity's Welfare Wednesday Webinar series, the session will take place at 7pm on Thursday, 15 February, via Zoom. It will feature Sebastian McBride of the Aberystwyth University and Linda Greening of Hartpury University.
 
The panel will discuss the importance of sleep for horses, the potential causes of sleep deprivation, signs of sleep deprivation, and the consequences of long-term sleep deprivation on health and welfare.

The discussion will be followed by a Q&A session in which members of the audience will be able to ask sleep-related questions to Dr McBride and Dr Greening.

Dr McBride has worked as a lecturer in Biosciences at Aberystwyth University since 2016. He has a BSc from the University of Liverpool and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on cognition and the neurophysiological control of behaviour.

Dr Greening has been part of the equine department at Hartpury University since 2006, when she joined after completely a Master’s degree in Equine Science. Her research into equine nocturnal behaviour led to a doctoral qualification in 2023.

There have now been more than 50 World Horse Welfare webinars, all of which are available to view as part of the charity’s advice pages. Topics covered already this year have included social media and horse welfare, nutrition myths and marketing, and managing arthritic changes in ridden horses.

Those wishing to attend the webinar on 15 February can register here.

Image © Shutterstock

 

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.