NIVA Autumn Meeting – A Presidential Workshop
“Endemic Disease Control and the Environmental Impact of Ruminant Farming”
– with Professor Jude Capper from Harper Adams University (Livestock sustainability scientist)
– and Professor Ilias Kyriazakis from Queen’s University Belfast
Healthy animals, healthy people, a healthy environment
A facilitated workshop for the Northern Ireland ruminant industry
Wed 7 Oct 2026
1:00 PM – 4:45 PM
T3 Conference Centre, House of Vic-Ryn Moira Road, Lisburn, BT28 2RF
What might better ruminant health be worth to the environment?
A sick animal returns less milk, less liveweight and fewer calves compared to healthy animals, despite continuing to consume time and inputs and to generate greenhouse gas emissions.
Better health shortens finishing times, improves fertility and cuts mortality, lowering emissions per unit of produce made by each animal as well as improving farm profitability.
This workshop explores how large that sparing effect might be for Northern Ireland, and what it would take to capture it.
Working with veterinary and other interested stakeholders, the afternoon will set out the core challenges, identify potential solutions, and begin to crystallise these into a roadmap for the Northern Ireland ruminant industry.
- NIVA members – Free
- Non-members – £20
- Students – £10
Buffet lunch provided
Register here 
Endemic Disease Control and the Environmental Impact of Ruminant Farming
