Dr Richard Booth

BVSc PhD BSc (Hons) MRCVS
Professor and Courtauld Chair of Farm Animal Practice

Department: Pathobiology & Population Sciences

Campus: Hawkshead

Research Groups: Sustainable Food Systems, IRLFS (Research Programme)

Clinical Groups: Farm Animal Health

Professor and Courtauld Chair of Farm Animal Practice

Head of the Farm Animal Health and Production Group

Prof Richard Booth qualified from the University of Bristol with a degree in Veterinary Science in 2005 having also completed an intercalated BSc in Veterinary Pathology at The Royal Veterinary College. He then went on to study for a PhD at the RVC entitled “Bovine Virus Diarrhoea Virus - A Longitudinal Farm Study Of The Health Profiles And Molecular Epidemiology Associated With Viral Control”.

Richard is now Head of the Farm Animal Health and Production Group at RVC and oversees our farm teaching with particular involvement in final year rotations and the links with our offsite teaching partners; Synergy Farm Health, Torch Farm Vets, Stony Lane Laboratories t/a Crowshall Veterinary Services, Pilgims Pride. Richard also oversees our popular Production Animal Internship programme in collaboration with Synergy Farm Health, Torch Farm Vets, Fenton Vets, Friars Moor Livestock Health and Belmont Farm and Equine.

Externally, Richard is a Director of CHeCS (the Cattle Health Certification Standards) and a member of the Technical Group for the programme.

1. Booth RE, Brownlie J: Establishing a pilot bovine viral diarrhoea virus eradication scheme in Somerset. Vet Rec 2012, 170(3):73

2. Booth RE, Cranwell MP, Brownlie J: Monitoring the bulk milk antibody response to BVDV: the effects of vaccination and herd infection status. Vet Rec 2013, 172(17):449

3. Jones BA, Sauter-Louis C, Henning J, Stoll A, Nielen M, Van Schaik G, Smolenaars A, Schouten M, den Uijl I, Fourichon C et al: Calf-level factors associated with bovine neonatal pancytopenia--a multi-country case-control study. PloS one 2013, 8(12):e80619

4. Laureyns J, Booth RE, Sarrazin S, Deprez P, Pfeiffer DU, Dewulf J, De Vliegher S: Assessment of two essential elements of BVDV control on selected Flemish dairy and beef farms. VLAAMS DIERGENEESKUNDIG TIJDSCHRIFT, 2013, 82(6):356-362

5. Booth RE, Thomas CJ, El-Attar LM, Gunn G, Brownlie J: A phylogenetic analysis of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus (BVDV) isolates from six different regions of the UK and links to animal movement data. Veterinary research 2013, 44(1):43

6. Booth RE, Brownlie J: Do Type 2 viruses pose a risk to bovine viral diarrhoea virus control in the UK? Livestock 2015, 20(2):66-70

7. Booth RE, Brownlie J: Comparison of bulk milk antibody and youngstock serology screens for determining herd status for Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus. BMC veterinary research 2016, 12(1):177

8. Booth RE, MacGillivray F, Armstrong D, Brownlie J: Control of bovine viral diarrhoea virus at the national level: a brief summary of European BVD control past, present and future. Livestock 2016, 21(6):338-345

9. Cardwell JM, Van Winden S, Beauvais W, Mastin A, De Glanville WA, Hardstaff J, Booth RE, Fishwick J, Pfeiffer DU: Assessing the impact of tailored biosecurity advice on farmer behaviour and pathogen presence in beef herds in England and Wales. Preventive veterinary medicine 2016, 135:9-16

10. Mahendran SA, Booth R, Bell NJ, Burge M: Randomised positive control trial of NSAID and antimicrobial treatment for calf fever caused by pneumonia. Vet Rec 2017, 181(2):45

11. Sauter-Louis C, Jones BA, Henning J, Stoll A, Nielen M, Van Schaik G, Smolenaars A, Schouten M, den Uijl I, Fourichon C et al: Herd-level animal management factors associated with the occurrence of bovine neonatal pancytopenia in calves in a multi-country study. PloS one 2017, 12(7):e0179878

12. Mahendran SA, Booth R, Beekhuis L, Manning A, Blackmore T, Vanhoudt A, Bell N: Assessing the effects of weekly preweaning health scores on dairy calf mortality and productivity parameters: cohort study. Vet Rec 2017, 181(8):196

13. Seale J, Swain J, Booth R, Blake DP: A Cryptosporidium parvum genotype shift between week old and two week old calves following administration of a prophylactic antiprotozoal. Vet Parasitol. 2019 Sep;273:32-35

14. Hardstaff J, Hunt H, Tugwell L, Thomas C, Elattar L, Brownlie J, Booth R: Serological survey of wild cervids in England and Wales for bovine viral diarrhoea virus. Vet Rec 2020.

15. Mahendran SA, Wathes DC, Booth RE, Blackie N: The Health and Behavioural Effects of Individual versus Pair Housing of Calves at Different Ages on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm. Animals (Basel) 2021, 11(3)

16. Ji KJ, Booth RE, Blackie N: A Retrospective Case Study into the Effect of Hoof Lesions on the Lying Behaviour of Holstein-Friesian in a Loose-Housed System. Animals (Basel) 2021, 11(4)

17. Mosena ACS, Falkenberg SM, Ma H, Casas E, Dassanayake RP, Booth R, De Mia GM, Schweizer M, Canal CW, Neill JD: Use of multivariate analysis to evaluate antigenic relationships between US BVDV vaccine strains and non-US genetically divergent isolates. J Virol Methods 2022, 299:114328

18. Paton N, Cooper H, Griffiths J, Booth R: Bovine viral diarrhoea in cattle: an update. Livestock 2022 27, 6

19. Mahendran SA, Wathes DC, Booth RE, Blackie N: A survey of calf management practices and farmer perceptions of calf housing in UK dairy herds. J Dairy Sci 2022, 105(1):409-423.

20. Lindley G, Booth R, Mahendran S, Wathes C, Blackie N: Colostrum quality and composition. Livestock 2023, 28, 1

21. Lindley G, Booth R, Wathes C, Blackie N. Passive transfer - is it time to reset our goals? Vet Rec. 2023 Mar;192(5):216. doi: 10.1002/vetr.2813. PMID: 36866909

22. Elkholly D, Fraser A, Booth R, O'Neill D, Mateus A, Brunton L, Brodbelt D. Antimicrobial usage in farm animal practices in the UK: A mixed-methods approach. Prev Vet Med. 2023 Apr;213:105870. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105870. Epub 2023 Feb 10. PMID: 36841042

23. Mahendran SA, Blackie N, Wathes DC, Booth RE: Comparison of environment quality measurements between 3 types of calf housing in the United Kingdom. J Dairy Sci 2023, 106(4):2461-2474

24. Mahendran SA, Wathes DC, Booth RE, Baker N, Blackie N. Effects of Individual and Pair Housing of Calves on Short-Term Health and Behaviour on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm. Animals (Basel) 2023, 13(13)

25. Mahendran, S.A.; Wathes, D.C.; Blackie, N.; Booth, R.E. Calf Health, Feeding and Social Behaviours within Groups Fed on Automatic Milk Feeders. Ruminants 2023, 3, 266–285. https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants3040025

26. Mahendran SA, Wathes DC, Booth RE, Blackie N. Effects of the Individual and Pair Housing of Calves on Long-Term Heifer Production on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm. Animals (Basel). 2023 Dec 29;14(1):125. doi: 10.3390/ani14010125

27. Lindley G, Blackie N, Wathes DC, Booth RE. Development and Progression of Bovine Respiratory Disease Measured Using Clinical Respiratory Scoring and Thoracic Ultrasonography in Preweaned Calves on Dairy Farms in the United Kingdom: A Prospective Cohort Study. Animals. 2025; 15(3):360. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15030360

28. Britten N, Blackie N, Reader J, Booth RE, Mahendran SA. Analysis of Cattle Foot Lesions Recorded at Trimming in the Southwest of England. Animals (Basel). 2025 Mar 13;15(6):829. doi: 10.3390/ani15060829

29. Mahendran SA, Wathes DC, Booth RE, Baker N, Blackie N. Comparison of Activity Levels Around Disbudding Between Individually and Pair-Housed Dairy Calves. Dairy 2025, 6(2), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/dairy6020016

 

Non-refereed Journals:

1. Brownlie J, Booth RE: Bovine viral diarrhoea: update on disease and its control. Veterinary Times 2014.

2. Brownlie J, Booth RE: Diagnostic tests to detect and eradicate BVDV in herds. Veterinary Times 2014. 

  • Antimicrobial usage in farm animal veterinary practice in the UK: A mixed-methods approach (In Progress)

    People: David Brodbelt, Dan O'Neill, Richard Booth

    Vet Compass Project Type: Farm Animal

    The aims of this study are to estimate current antimicrobial usage in Farm Veterinary Practice and investigate the intrinsic factors and extrinsic factors associated with farm veterinarian decision-making when prescribing antimicrobials as well as exploring the drivers behind farmers' decision when using antimicrobials.

  • Bovine Viral Diarrhoea

    Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD)  is a pestivirus infection of cattle. It causes a variety of clinical outcomes ranging from the inapparent (sub-clinical) to the more severe, including abortion, infertility, an immuno-suppression that underlies calf respiratory and enteric diseases, and most dramatically, the fatal mucosal disease.

    The disease is maintained by a small population of animals that become persistently infected (PI) with the virus. These PI animals are the major reservoir of BVDV and arise after becoming infected whilst in the uterus during early pregnancy. Such infections remain throughout the pregnancy and, after birth, for the lifetime of the animal.

  • VetCompass Project

    VetCompass is a welfare-focussed epidemiological research project that shares anonymised clinical data from veterinary practices to investigate the frequency and nature of companion animal health problems.

    Modern veterinary medicine has access to increasingly effective tools for diagnosis and treatment; yet many animals still continue to suffer from disorders that might be reduced or avoided if risks were better understood and measured. 

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