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Networks Will Help Livestock Farmers Deal With Animal Health Issues

A network is being set up in the province to help livestock farmers keep their animals healthy.

The Ontario Animal Health Network will have individual groups set up to deal with specific species.

Each group will include representatives from OMAFRA, the Ontario Veterinary College and private vets.

Doctor Melanie Barham from the Animal Health Lab says they'll meet every three months.

Those meetings will get a picture of what diseases are on farms and what treatments and testing may be available to deal with them.

They'll then generate reports that will go out to veterinarians and producer groups to give them a heads-up on what to watch for.

Doctor Barham says swine, poultry, small ruminant, fish and wildlife groups are already up and running.

Bovine, equine, small animals and beef groups are getting set up soon.

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Barham says they get together every three months to get a picture of what diseases are out there on the province's farms.

[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BARHAM-Group-1.mp3"][/audio]

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Doctor Barham says each individual network will include OMAFRA experts, reps from the Ontario Veterinary College and private vets.

[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BAYHAM-Group-2.mp3"][/audio]

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Doctor Barham says some of those groups are already up and running.

[audio mp3="http://blackburnnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BAYHAM-Group-3.mp3"][/audio]

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