Veterinarians get Danish training in professional hoof trimming at KVASU

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A national-level residential training programme to train veterinarians in professional hoof trimming began at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Pookode in Wayanad, on Monday (September 21, 2026), marking the launch of the NDDB-KVASU Hoof Academy.

The programme teaches the White Line Atlas Method (WLAM), a standardised claw-trimming protocol developed in Denmark. It is being organised by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and KVASU under the Indo-Danish Strategic Sector Cooperation, in association with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) and the Royal Danish Embassy, New Delhi.

Ten veterinary officers are attending the first batch, being held from September 20 to 26. Subsequent batches will draw participants from across the country.

Inaugurating the programme, Vice-Chancellor K.S. Anil said hoof health was the third pillar of herd health along with udder health and reproduction, and the one that had received the least attention. “This collaboration gives us a standardised method and the means to train veterinarians in it, and our aim is to take that service to every milkshed,” he said.

Experts from Denmark are conducting the training. Camilla Brasch Andersen, Chief Consultant at the Centre for International Cooperation, DVFA, spoke on strengthening the Indo-Danish One Health and dairy partnership. Nynne Capion, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, spoke on why the choice of hoof trimming method matters

A.V. Harikumar, General Manager (Animal Husbandry), NDDB, gave the programme briefing and outlined plans for institutionalising the White Line Atlas Method in milkshed areas so that trained trimming services become available to dairy farmers at the field level.

Registrar Sabin George, T.S. Rajeev, Director of Entrepreneurship, KVASU, and course director Laiju M. Philip spoke.

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