Colostrum Is Gold is an award-winning industry campaign. It highlights the key role colostrum plays in farm animal performance through improved health while reducing antibiotic use.

Colostrum (or first milk) is full of antibodies, energy and essential nutrients that benefit the newborn animal.

Sufficient quality colostrum fed quickly can:

• Stop lambs succumbing to watery mouth disease
• Halve the risk of pneumonia in calves
• Improve survival rate of piglets up to weaning
• Improve health, lower mortality and increase daily liveweight gain
• Support the responsible use of antibiotics

Remember the three Qs:

1. Quantity
2. Quality
3. Quickly

Colostrum is vital to the newborn as it contains antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins or IgG) to provide immunity, and it is also rich in essential nutrients to provide energy for growth.  

This long-running, collaborative industry campaign aims to raise awareness and improve youngstock health through gold standard colostrum management. 

Although now hosted by AHDB, it is industry-wide. Levy boards, levy payers, industry stakeholders and any other industry parties can communicate the benefits of colostrum and its role in improving welfare, reducing disease and reducing antibiotics in cattle (dairy and beef), sheep and pigs.