1. Antibiotic use by farmers to control mastitis as influenced by health advice and dairy farming systems
- Author
-
Florence Bonnet-Beaugrand, Christine Fourichon, Arnaud Rault, Nathalie Bareille, Axelle Poizat, UMR 1300 Biologie, Epidémiologie et Analyse du Risque, and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Agroalimentaire et de l'alimentation Nantes-Atlantique (ONIRIS)-Biologie, Epidémiologie et Analyse du Risque (BioEpAR)-Santé animale (S.A.)
- Subjects
Complementary Therapies ,Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ,Alternative medicine ,040301 veterinary sciences ,Interprofessional Relations ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Decision Making ,Control (management) ,Milk valuation ,Health and welfare ,Veterinarians ,0403 veterinary science ,Agricultural science ,Drug Misuse ,Food Animals ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Animals ,Dairy cattle ,Medicine ,Technical management ,Animal Husbandry ,Market value ,Mastitis, Bovine ,Dairy farming ,Intensification ,Farmers ,Bacterial disease ,business.industry ,0402 animal and dairy science ,food and beverages ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,medicine.disease ,040201 dairy & animal science ,Farming Systems ,Anti-Bacterial Agents ,respiratory tract diseases ,Mastitis ,Biotechnology ,Dairying ,Farm advisors ,Agriculture ,Cattle ,Female ,Animal Science and Zoology ,France ,Qualitative approach ,business - Abstract
Mastitis is a bacterial disease common in dairy farms. Although knowledge about mastitis and its optimal technical management and treatment is now available, some dairy farmers still use antibiotics in inappropriate ways. Antibiotic use by farmers can be influenced by personal restraints and motivations, but it can be assumed that external drivers are also influential. The main purpose of this article is thus to analyse the choices of antibiotic and alternative medicine use for mastitis treatment and investigate the possible influence of two unexplored external drivers in dairy farms: (i) the health advice offered to farmers by farm advisors and veterinarians, (ii) the dairy farming system, as defined by combining the market valuation chosen for the milk, the level of intensification, and the perceived pressure related to investments. Research was based on 51 individual semi-structured interviews with farmers and their corresponding veterinarians and farm advisors. Based on verbatim, the use of antibiotics and alternative medicine by farmers for mastitis treatment, the vet-farmers interactions, and the dairy farming systems are described. The advisory relationships between farmers and farm advisors and between farmers and veterinarians influenced the implementation of selective dry cow therapy, but had very little effect on the use of alternative medicines by farmers, who were more willing to experiment alternative medicines than their advisors. The dairy farming system had very little influence on antibiotic use: some misuse of antibiotics was found whatever the farming system. Systematic dry cow therapy was also a widespread habit in all dairy farming systems except organic. The use of alternative medicine was common in all farming systems.
- Published
- 2017