A CHESHIRE farming family has been named the winner of the very first VetPartners Sustainable Farming Health and Welfare Award.
The Yarwood family, which includes Rob and his wife Jennifer, along with his parents Richard and Debra, were nominated by their vet, Isobel Johnston from Willows Farm Vets, for their efforts to improve herd health.
They run a herd of 220 Holstein Friesians at Handfield Farm near Congleton, and have invested significantly in new housing, a ruminal bolus-based health monitoring system, and with support from their vet, have implemented a robust vaccination programme.
The Health and Welfare award is one of four new accolades launched by VetPartners in 2025.
The awards celebrate our farm clients working together with vets to balance livestock health alongside environmental and business sustainability, celebrating best practice and highlight farms that are driving improvements across the livestock sectors.
Focus on cow comfort
Among the most successful changes to the Yarwood’s system is a new cow shed, completed 18 months ago. This shed, designed with flexible cubicles and fitted with Mayo Mattresses through a health and wellbeing grant, has increased lying time by 50%, significantly improving cow comfort and welfare.
Since making these changes, the cows now appear to prefer to come into the shed at night, and the Yarwood’s have noticed an increased average milk yield, decreased cases of lameness and a reduction in calving interval from 385 to 372 days.
Rob Yarwood commented on their progress: “In the past few years, we’ve improved the cows’ environment, and that’s increased their health, welfare, and production.”
Farm vet, Isobel Johnston, praised the improvements made to the farm, especially those relating to the partnership between the Yarwood family and their vets.
“The boluses have allowed the farm to reduce antibiotic use while increasing the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for managing sick cows,” said Isobel.
Shortlisted farms
The runner-up for the Health and Welfare award was Marsh Farm in Basildon, Essex. Alex and Ben Sell, along with Alex’s wife Gemma, manage the 2,167-acre farm business which includes two separate 100-cow herds, a flock of 150 ewes and 500 acres of arable copping.
Their commitment to health and welfare is evident in their proactive approach to health planning with their vet.
Regular meetings ensure that the Sell family follows a ‘prevention is better than cure’ philosophy, which has paid off in terms of excellent calving rates and high-quality breeding stock, earning praise from their vet, Olivia Casey at Westpoint Farm Vets, who nominated them for the award.
Ian Cure, Farm Director at VetPartners, commended both farms for their outstanding efforts.
“These awards provide a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the impressive work done by farmers up and down the country to improve animal health and welfare, while boosting the sustainability of their businesses,” he said.
Learn more
To find out more about VetPartners’ mission to support sustainable farming practices and to read about other farmers making a positive environmental impact, read our news post.