Good practice to control and prevent enzootic pneumonia in young calves can be divided into three areas of action: maintenance of disease resistance, minimisation of exposure to infectious agents and reduction of stress.

Maintenance of immune status:

• Do not separate the dam until 24 hours after calving
• Provide adequate bedding to allow the calf to stand without difficulty
• Ensure early feeding, assist if needed, monitor the intake as closely as possible and record it ("maximum supervision, minimum interference")
• Keep a supply of frozen colostrum in case the dam leaks colostrum before calving
• Avoid stress and exposure to new disease agents during "poor immune capacity" at 2-4 months of age
• If immunosupressive respiratory pathogens are a known herd problem, consider eradication
• Vaccinate strategically as a part of a comprehensive disease control plan

Minimisation of exposure:

• Provide adequate numbers of calving pens and clean and disinfect them between batches
• House calves of different ages in different rooms or with adequate separation
• Quarantine bought-in animals for 2-3 weeks before introduction to the rest of the herd
• Provide good ventilation in the calf housing
• In difficult circumstances, consider calf hutches (tethering not acceptable under UKROFS standards).

Reduction of stress:

• Avoid overcrowding in calf pens
• Provide good ventilation
• Make sure that calves are well bedded during cold weather and do not suffer from draught
• Provide shelter during prolonged cold and wet conditions on pasture
• Avoid transport and introduction to new environment between 2 and 4 weeks of age
• Time castration and disbudding away from weaning
• Time autumn housing away from castration and disbudding
• Introduce diet changes gradually, particularly when housing calves