Mr Peter Plate
Dr med vet MRCVS
Lecturer in Livestock Veterinary Extension Services
Department: Pathobiology & Population Sciences
Research Groups: Sustainable Food Systems, Antimicrobial Resistance, 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 and provide advice and carry out research in this context.
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, calf health and organic farming, and he carries out research and advisory work in these areas. He is a Diplomate of the European College of Bovine Health Management and an RCVS specialist in Cattle Health and Production.
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.
Williams, G. Fitzsimmonds, H., Angel, T., Britten, N. Plate, P. (2024): A brief review of bovine dystocia: risk factors, causes, approach and outcomes. UK Vet Livestock 29 (5), 194-198
Plate, P., van Winden, S. (2023): A Comparison of Dry Period Outcomes after Selective Dry Cow Therapy Carried out by Farm Staff versus Veterinary Students in a Low-Cell-Count Dairy Herd. Animals 13, 2318
Plate, P. (2023) ‘Iron-deficiency anaemia in calves and lambs’, UK Vet Livestock, 28(1), 19–22.
Allan, J., Plate, P., v Winden, S. (2022): Iron deficiency anaemia in wholemilk fed calves. Proc. World Buiatric Congress, Madrid.
Crilly, J.P., Plate, P. (2022) ‘Anaemia in lambs and kids reared indoors on maternal milk and the impact of iron supplementation on haemoglobin levels and growth rates’, Animals 12, 1863
Plate, P. (2021) ‘Metabolic programming and monitoring tools in pre-weaned dairy calves’, UK Vet Livestock 26, 108-113
Allan, J E; Plate, P; Van Winden, S
Animals,10 (5), 853 (2020)
Plate, P.
Practical approaches to animal health issues on organic farms.
Livestock, 24;1: 2019.
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.
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
- Lectures on pigs and dairy nutrition
- Practical classes on the animal husbandry and reproduction strands
Regular herd health visits with students, covering fertility, lameness, calf health and pigs.
Frequent advice to the Soil Association and other organic sector bodies on standards and their implications.
Farmer training courses (artificial insemination in cattle, organic livestock farming)
Organised and run a farm veterinary summer school (week long residential course for prospective veterinary students).