Failure of passive transfer of immunity from colostrum is one of the leading causes of neonatal calf illness and death, causing significant preventable suffering through management improvements.
Calves that fail to receive adequate colostrum develop without immune protection and face severe scours, pneumonia, and septicaemia in the first weeks of life. These diseases cause painful and often fatal illness that is almost entirely preventable through good colostrum management. The suffering involved in neonatal calf disease is significant and the welfare benefits of good passive transfer protocols are among the most clearly documented in all livestock farming.