Emily Gascoigne of Synergy Farm Health has been named Farm Educator of the Year in the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards. Emily is a RCVS Recognised Specialist in Sheep Health and Production and is known for going the extra mile to share her knowledge with farmers, vets and vet students. She believes that education is key to improving animal welfare and is always keen to emphasise the link between welfare and productivity. Emily’s practice, Synergy Farm Health, has an investment in training and is a celebrated member of the XLVets community of independent practices.
The Ceva Animal Welfare Awards celebrates individuals who dedicate their lives to improving animal health and welfare, and the Farm Educator of the Year Award acknowledges research and education on the benefits of improving farm animal welfare. Emily is actively involved in clinical research in practice, and is involved in teaching students and organising sheep farmer training at Synergy Farm Health. She also contributes to farming and veterinary press and plays an active role in several veterinary associations.
Emily describes how pleased she is to receive the award from Ceva: “I’m delighted to be named Farm Educator of the Year,” she says. “Training is a huge part of my role that I really enjoy, and it’s wonderful to gain this award to celebrate that.”
Emily considers training and education to be a powerful tool for improving animal welfare. “In the farm animal context, investing in people and constantly upskilling people is the real way we have a positive impact on animal welfare,” she says. “In my work as a sheep vet, I’m passionate about communicating how animal welfare, productivity and profitability are intimately linked. Essentially, by making a healthier and happier flock, you’ll end up with a healthier sheep business and probably a happier farmer as well.”
One topic that Emily is keen to provide training on is neonatal lamb loss. “This is a threat to both animal welfare and productivity, so it’s in everyone’s interests to address,” she says. “To help with this I provide training to teach farmers how to perform their own neonatal lamb post-mortems. This helps farmers understand the issues they’re facing and take appropriate actions to reduce lamb mortality. Ultimately this will improve welfare and deliver business benefits as well.”
Continuing to provide training on topics such as this is part of Synergy Farm Health’s ethos. The practice is committed to providing education for vets, students and farmers to help improve farm animal health, welfare and production. The practice runs informative courses and workshops which farmers can attend, alongside organising a range of discussion groups and a dairy apprenticeship programme.
Synergy Farm Health also delivers training seminars for vets through the XLVets VetSkills courses. The practice is a proud member of XLVets and is pleased to take an active role in training within the community.
Alice Renner, Farm Marketing Executive of XLVets, explains how pleased she is to hear the news about Emily’s award. “Emily’s done so much in terms of farm animal welfare education, and it’s fantastic to hear she’s received this award,” she says. “Emily and her colleagues at Synergy show a great commitment to education and training. Their proactive and forward-thinking approach is something we really value in the XLVets community, and we’re delighted to see Emily’s hard work being celebrated.”
To find out more about XLVets and the training opportunities they provide, visit https://www.xlvets.co.uk/the-boss/.
No Comment