Department: Pathobiology and Population Sciences

Campus: Hawkshead

Research Groups: Sustainable Food Systems, IRLFS (Research Programme)

Clinical Groups: Farm Animal Health

Peter's main role is to run a final year farm tracking rotation in Dorset in close collaboration with local veterinary practices.

 Peter has worked 27 years in farm practice in Germany and the UK before joining the RVC in 2017. He teaches final year tracking students on farms in Dorset practical skills, herd health, data handling and analysis and responsible use of medicines. His main interests are mastitis, nutrition and organic farming.

 Current projects include the evaluation of on farm test systems for selective treatment of clincical mastitis and research into iron deficiency anaemia in whole-milk fed calves.

Allan, J E; Plate, P; Van Winden, S
The effect of iron dextran injection on daily weight gain and haemoglobin values in whole milk fed calves
Animals,10 (5), 853 (2020)

Allan, J E; Plate, P.
Iron deficiency anaemia in whole milk fed calves.
CATTLE PRACTICE, 26165-166.
2018.  Editorial.

Plate, P.
On-Farm culture and selective treatment of clinical mastitis - A way forward?.
CATTLE PRACTICE, 2689-89.
2018.  Editorial.

Plate, P.
Practical approaches to animal health issues on organic farms.
Livestock, 24;1: 2019.  

 Teaching includes

- Practical skills on farm like calf castrations, disbuddings and  blood sampling, foot trimming, pregnancy diagnosis in cattle and pigs.

- Herd health, data handling, analysis, interpretation and reporting to farmers

- Infectious disease control

- Responsible use of medicines

- Evidence based medicine and evaluating scientific literature

 One day in a fortnight Peter still works clinically on organic farms, in conjunction with the senior clincial training scholar.

 Member of the Soil Association Agruculture Standards Committee and frequent advice on standards and their implications

Reviewer of the cattle section of farmhealthonline.com

Farmer training courses (artificial insemination in cattle, organic livestock farming)

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