FIELD is a five-year interdisciplinary project funded by the Wellcome Trust (2018-2023). It brings a team of social scientists, historians, economists and epidemiologists together to research how livestock disease is influenced by nature and culture, science and society, and the actions of humans and livestock.

The team works closely with industry representatives and policy makers to make sure the research responds to real-world needs of the farming industry.

FIELD specifically examines endemic diseases, defined as those which are continually present in particular regions or populations. We focus on two common examples in Britain: Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) in cows, and lameness in sheep and cattle. These conditions cannot be caught by humans, but they do have an impact on animal health, welfare and production. FIELD considers their past, present and likely future impacts, asking if they could be managed better, and if so, how?

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A bull from the 1959 British Association Tour, Norham, Northumberland

A bull from the 1959 British Association Tour, Norham, Northumberland

Beef cattle at a 1959 Young Farmers Club one day course in Goathland, Yorkshire

Beef cattle at a 1959 Young Farmers Club one day course in Goathland, Yorkshire

A sheep pictured for the Welsh Mountain Sheep Story, 1959

A sheep pictured for the Welsh Mountain Sheep Story, 1959

The National Sheep Exhibition in Harrogate in 1959

The National Sheep Exhibition in Harrogate in 1959

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