All Outputs (52)

Understanding farmers' naturalistic decision making around prophylactic antibiotic use in lambs using a grounded theory and natural language processing approach (2020)
Journal Article
Doidge, C., Ferguson, E., Lovatt, F., & Kaler, J. (2021). Understanding farmers' naturalistic decision making around prophylactic antibiotic use in lambs using a grounded theory and natural language processing approach. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 186, Article 105226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105226

The routine use of antibiotics for prevention of disease in neonatal lambs has been highlighted as inappropriate, yet research suggests that many farmers in the UK still carry out this practice. The aim of the study was to understand farmers' natural... Read More about Understanding farmers' naturalistic decision making around prophylactic antibiotic use in lambs using a grounded theory and natural language processing approach.

Antimicrobial use practices and opinions of beef farmers in England and Wales (2020)
Journal Article
Doidge, C., Hudson, C. D., Burgess, R., Lovatt, F., & Kaler, J. (2020). Antimicrobial use practices and opinions of beef farmers in England and Wales. Veterinary Record, 187(12), e119-e119. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105878

© British Veterinary Association. Background Limited research exists on antimicrobial use practices of beef farmers. This study aimed to investigate antimicrobial practices and perceptions of beef farmers in England and Wales, and identify drivers of... Read More about Antimicrobial use practices and opinions of beef farmers in England and Wales.

Farmers' Perceptions of Preventing Antibiotic Resistance on Sheep and Beef Farms: Risk, Responsibility, and Action (2020)
Journal Article
Doidge, C., Ruston, A., Lovatt, F., Hudson, C., King, L., & Kaler, J. (2020). Farmers' Perceptions of Preventing Antibiotic Resistance on Sheep and Beef Farms: Risk, Responsibility, and Action. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, Article 524. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00524

© 2020 Doidge, Ruston, Lovatt, Hudson, King and Kaler.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health risks facing humanity. The overuse of antibiotics in the treatment of infectious disease have been identified as sources of the... Read More about Farmers' Perceptions of Preventing Antibiotic Resistance on Sheep and Beef Farms: Risk, Responsibility, and Action.

Variable selection for inferential models with relatively high-dimensional data: Between method heterogeneity and covariate stability as adjuncts to robust selection (2020)
Journal Article
Lima, E., Davies, P., Kaler, J., Lovatt, F., & Green, M. (2020). Variable selection for inferential models with relatively high-dimensional data: Between method heterogeneity and covariate stability as adjuncts to robust selection. Scientific Reports, 10, Article 8002. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64829-0

Variable selection in inferential modelling is problematic when the number of variables is large relative to the number of data points, especially when multicollinearity is present. A variety of techniques have been described to identify ‘important’... Read More about Variable selection for inferential models with relatively high-dimensional data: Between method heterogeneity and covariate stability as adjuncts to robust selection.

Influencing Change: When “Best Practice” Changes and the Prototypical Good Farmer Turns Bad (2020)
Journal Article
Green, L., Kaler, J., Liu, N., & Ferguson, E. (2020). Influencing Change: When “Best Practice” Changes and the Prototypical Good Farmer Turns Bad. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, Article 161. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00161

Twenty-nine farmers with a flock prevalence of lameness >5% were visited in 2013. They participated in a facilitated discussion on treatment of footrot, and evidence-based new “best practice.” One year later, farmers were revisited and management and... Read More about Influencing Change: When “Best Practice” Changes and the Prototypical Good Farmer Turns Bad.

Is it just about grazing? UK citizens have diverse preferences for how dairy cows should be managed (2020)
Journal Article
Jackson, A., Green, M., Millar, K., & Kaler, J. (2020). Is it just about grazing? UK citizens have diverse preferences for how dairy cows should be managed. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(4), 3250-3263. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17111

© 2020 American Dairy Science Association Conflicting views between the dairy industry and the public about how dairy cows should be managed, together with an increase in the availability of alternatives to dairy foods, challenge future markets for m... Read More about Is it just about grazing? UK citizens have diverse preferences for how dairy cows should be managed.

Field survey to evaluate space allowances for dairy cows in Great Britain (2020)
Journal Article
Thompson, J. S., Huxley, J. N., Hudson, C. D., Kaler, J., Gibbons, J., & Green, M. J. (2020). Field survey to evaluate space allowances for dairy cows in Great Britain. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(4), 3745-3759. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17004

© 2020 American Dairy Science Association Housing conditions can affect health of cows by increasing exposure to biological, chemical, and physical hazards, resulting in increased disease. A report in 2014 indicated that 99% of UK dairy cows are hous... Read More about Field survey to evaluate space allowances for dairy cows in Great Britain.

Automated detection of lameness in sheep using machine learning approaches: novel insights into behavioural differences among lame and non-lame sheep (2020)
Journal Article
Kaler, J., Mitsch, J., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Bollard, N., Dottorini, T., & Ellis, K. A. (2020). Automated detection of lameness in sheep using machine learning approaches: novel insights into behavioural differences among lame and non-lame sheep. Royal Society Open Science, 7(1), Article 190824. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.190824

Lameness in sheep is the biggest cause of concern regarding poor health and welfare among sheep producing countries. Best practice for lameness relies on rapid treatment, yet there are no objective measures of lameness detection. Use of accelerometer... Read More about Automated detection of lameness in sheep using machine learning approaches: novel insights into behavioural differences among lame and non-lame sheep.

Koala retrovirus viral load and disease burden in distinct northern and southern koala populations (2020)
Journal Article
Sarker, N., Fabijan, J., Owen, H., Seddon, J., Simmons, G., Speight, N., …Tarlinton, R. E. (2020). Koala retrovirus viral load and disease burden in distinct northern and southern koala populations. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 263. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-56546-0

Koala retrovirus (KoRV) displays features of both an endogenous and exogenous virus and is linked to neoplasia and immunosuppression in koalas. This study explores the apparent differences in the nature and impact of KoRV infection between geographic... Read More about Koala retrovirus viral load and disease burden in distinct northern and southern koala populations.

Environmental and field characteristics associated with lameness in sheep: a study using a smartphone lameness app for data recording (2019)
Journal Article
Vittis, Y., & Kaler, J. (2019). Environmental and field characteristics associated with lameness in sheep: a study using a smartphone lameness app for data recording. Veterinary Record, https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105476

Background: Sheep lameness is a major concern among farmers and policymakers with significant impacts on animal welfare standards as well as financial and production performance. The present study attempts to identify the relative importance of envir... Read More about Environmental and field characteristics associated with lameness in sheep: a study using a smartphone lameness app for data recording.

Best practice versus farm practice: Perspectives of lecturers and students at agricultural colleges in England on management of lameness in sheep (2019)
Journal Article
Clifton, R., Reeves, M. C., Kaler, J., & Green, L. E. (2019). Best practice versus farm practice: Perspectives of lecturers and students at agricultural colleges in England on management of lameness in sheep. Journal of Rural Studies, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.11.014

We use the concepts of trust and knowledge to explore translation of scientific evidence about treatment of ovine footrot to students studying at agricultural colleges. We explore the role of different forms of trust (companion, competence and commit... Read More about Best practice versus farm practice: Perspectives of lecturers and students at agricultural colleges in England on management of lameness in sheep.

Use of bootstrapped, regularised regression to identify factors associated with lamb-derived revenue on commercial sheep farms (2019)
Journal Article
Lima, E., Green, M., Lovatt, F., Davies, P., King, L., & Kaler, J. (2020). Use of bootstrapped, regularised regression to identify factors associated with lamb-derived revenue on commercial sheep farms. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 174, Article 104851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104851

The profitability of UK sheep farms is variable with many farms making a net loss. For economic sustainability, farms have to be profitable, therefore it is important to maximise income whilst controlling costs. The most important source of income in... Read More about Use of bootstrapped, regularised regression to identify factors associated with lamb-derived revenue on commercial sheep farms.

Sustainable lamb production: Evaluation of factors affecting lamb growth using hierarchical, cross classified and multiple memberships models (2019)
Journal Article
Lima, E., Lovatt, F., Green, M., Roden, J., Davies, P., & Kaler, J. (2020). Sustainable lamb production: Evaluation of factors affecting lamb growth using hierarchical, cross classified and multiple memberships models. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 174, Article 104822. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104822

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. In light of current concerns about the sustainability of red meat production in a world with increasing global demand for food from animal origin there is a need for a better understanding of factors that influence the growth rat... Read More about Sustainable lamb production: Evaluation of factors affecting lamb growth using hierarchical, cross classified and multiple memberships models.

Developing and evaluating threshold-based algorithms to detect drinking behavior in dairy cows using reticulorumen temperature (2019)
Journal Article
Vázquez-Diosdado, J., Miguel-Pacheco, G., Plant, B., Dottorini, T., Green, M., & Kaler, J. (2019). Developing and evaluating threshold-based algorithms to detect drinking behavior in dairy cows using reticulorumen temperature. Journal of Dairy Science, 102(11), 10471-10482. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16442

© 2019 American Dairy Science Association In this study, we assessed for the first time the use of a reticuloruminal temperature bolus and a thresholding method to detect drinking events and investigated different factors that can affect drinking beh... Read More about Developing and evaluating threshold-based algorithms to detect drinking behavior in dairy cows using reticulorumen temperature.

Genetic diversity of Koala retrovirus env gene subtypes: insights into northern and southern koala populations (2019)
Journal Article
Sarker, N., Fabijan, J., Seddon, J., Tarlinton, R., Owen, H., Simmons, G., …Meers, J. (2019). Genetic diversity of Koala retrovirus env gene subtypes: insights into northern and southern koala populations. Journal of General Virology, 100(9), 1328-1339. https://doi.org/10.1099/jgv.0.001304

Koala retrovirus (KoRV) is a recently endogenised retrovirus associated with neoplasia and immunosuppression in koala populations. The virus is known to display sequence variability and to be present at varying prevalence in different populations, wi... Read More about Genetic diversity of Koala retrovirus env gene subtypes: insights into northern and southern koala populations.

A Combined Offline and Online Algorithm for Real-Time and Long-Term Classification of Sheep Behaviour: Novel Approach for Precision Livestock Farming (2019)
Journal Article
Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Paul, V., Ellis, K. A., Coates, D., Loomba, R., & Kaler, J. (2019). A Combined Offline and Online Algorithm for Real-Time and Long-Term Classification of Sheep Behaviour: Novel Approach for Precision Livestock Farming. Sensors, 19(14), Article 3201. https://doi.org/10.3390/s19143201

Real-time and long-term behavioural monitoring systems in precision livestock farming have huge potential to improve welfare and productivity for the better health of farm animals. However, some of the biggest challenges for long-term monitoring syst... Read More about A Combined Offline and Online Algorithm for Real-Time and Long-Term Classification of Sheep Behaviour: Novel Approach for Precision Livestock Farming.

Technology adoption on farms: Using Normalisation Process Theory to understand sheep farmers’ attitudes and behaviours in relation to using precision technology in flock management (2019)
Journal Article
Kaler, J., & Ruston, A. (2019). Technology adoption on farms: Using Normalisation Process Theory to understand sheep farmers’ attitudes and behaviours in relation to using precision technology in flock management. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 170, Article 104715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104715

Evidence suggests that UK sheep farmers experience lower productivity and profit margins than other livestock sectors and that they do not necessarily know where they gain or lose income from their flocks. More efficient use of precision technology h... Read More about Technology adoption on farms: Using Normalisation Process Theory to understand sheep farmers’ attitudes and behaviours in relation to using precision technology in flock management.

To prescribe or not to prescribe? A factorial survey to explore veterinarians’ decision making when prescribing antimicrobials to sheep and beef farmers in the UK (2019)
Journal Article
Doidge, C., Hudson, C., Lovatt, F., & Kaler, J. (2019). To prescribe or not to prescribe? A factorial survey to explore veterinarians’ decision making when prescribing antimicrobials to sheep and beef farmers in the UK. PLoS ONE, 14(4), Article e0213855. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213855

Resistance to antimicrobials is one of the biggest challenges worldwide for public health. A key strategy for tackling this is ensuring judicious use of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine. Whilst there are many studies in human medicine... Read More about To prescribe or not to prescribe? A factorial survey to explore veterinarians’ decision making when prescribing antimicrobials to sheep and beef farmers in the UK.

True cowmen and commercial farmers: exploring vets’ and dairy farmers’ contrasting views of ‘good farming’ in relation to biosecurity (2018)
Journal Article
Shortall, O., Sutherland, L.-A., Ruston, A., & Kaler, J. (in press). True cowmen and commercial farmers: exploring vets’ and dairy farmers’ contrasting views of ‘good farming’ in relation to biosecurity. Sociologia Ruralis, https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12205

Responsibility for biosecurity in UK farming is being devolved from government to industry, with a greater emphasis on the veterinarian (vet)-farmer relationship. Although social science has shown that care for animals is part of ‘good farming’, the... Read More about True cowmen and commercial farmers: exploring vets’ and dairy farmers’ contrasting views of ‘good farming’ in relation to biosecurity.

A comparison of the efficacy of three intervention trial types: postal, group, and one-to-one facilitation, prior management and the impact of message framing and repeat messages on the flock prevalence of lameness in sheep (2017)
Journal Article
Grant, C., Kaler, J., Ferguson, E., O’Kane, H., & Green, L. E. (2018). A comparison of the efficacy of three intervention trial types: postal, group, and one-to-one facilitation, prior management and the impact of message framing and repeat messages on the flock prevalence of lameness in sheep. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 149, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2017.11.013

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three knowledge-transfer intervention trial types (postal, group, one-to-one) to promote best practice to treat sheep with footrot. Further aims were to investigate whether farmer behaviour (... Read More about A comparison of the efficacy of three intervention trial types: postal, group, and one-to-one facilitation, prior management and the impact of message framing and repeat messages on the flock prevalence of lameness in sheep.