DEAR EDITOR

At a recent Animal Health Ireland conference, dairy farmer Mella Briscoe said that blanket dry cow therapy (BDCT) is a 'sin' which I wholeheartedly agree with.

Many farmers do not realise the consequences of antimicrobial resistance and the problems it will cause for future generations, and farmers using BDCT are exacerbating these problems.

To encourage the responsible use of antibiotics in dairying, should farmers who are not using selective dry cow treatment be excluded from the Cell Check Awards?