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Clinical and subclinical hypocalcaemia are common in dairy cows, yet evidence in the literature assessing their impact on fertility is inconsistent. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to examine associations between blood ionised calcium concentration at calving and fertility outcomes in dairy cattle. Blood samples were taken from 137 Holstein cows from four commercial dairy herds within 24 hours of calving and analysed for blood ionised calcium using an Epocal Point of Care Analyser (Epocal, Ottawa, Canada). Data collected from routine veterinary fertility examinations and herd records were used to investigate the association of ionised calcium with the outcomes: time to first service, time to conception and endometritis. There were significant negative associations between blood ionised calcium concentration and time to first service (HR 1.33, P=0.001) and blood ionised calcium concentration and time to conception (HR 1.16, P=0.04). There was no significant association between blood ionised calcium concentration and endometritis. The results of this study imply that management policies that minimise the reduction in blood ionised calcium concentration in the periparturient dairy cow are likely to improve reproductive outcomes and should be considered as part of the multifactorial approach to optimising dairy cow fertility.

Decision-making processes to assess and improve the health of dairy herds are often unstructured due to the complexity of interactions that exist between the health and productivity of the herd, for which there are no ready to hand solutions. Decisions made in the face of these complex herd health problems are often based on the experience and perceptions of what might be a quick or the easiest solution. To shift from this unstructured process to semistructured decision-making requires a more holistic understanding of potential health problems and access to herd productivity information and to analytical methods suitable for examining and evaluating such data. Technological advances in agriculture have made the development of such information technology systems both possible and relatively accessible to decision makers working with dairy herds (e.g., veterinarians). The timely access and appropriate analysis of herd productivity data provides the herd health advisor with the opportunity to track and benchmark the performance of dairy herds. Thus, a decision support system (DSS) will use best available evidence to guide the allocation of resources to specific, most promising herd health interventions. This article presents an example of a DSS-based on collection of data and algorithm of analysis.

A preventive herd health approach will most likely reduce incidences of clinical and subclinical disease. Swedish veterinary organizations offer specific veterinary herd health management (HHM) programs, but these services are not used to a large extent. The aim of this study was to investigate dairy farmers’ experience of HHM and the conditions for collaboration with veterinarians in HHM. Six focus group discussions were conducted in March 2015 in West Sweden. In total, 33 dairy farmers participated. The recordings were transcribed and coded using thematic analysis, and the transcripts were reviewed to identify potential factors indicating barriers for farmers to engage a veterinarian in HHM. The participants reported HHM to be important, but they had difficulty defining the actions included in the concept. They described a wide range of their work duties as preventive. The farmers’ list of potential contributions by the veterinarians in HHM was strikingly short compared to the considerable number of preventive measures they performed themselves. Four main obstacles for farmers and farm managers to engage a veterinarian in HHM on their farm were identified in the analysis: “costs”, “veterinary knowledge, skills, and organization”, “farmer attitudes”, and “veterinarian-farmer relationships”. Costs were proposed as the main reason against engaging a veterinarian in HHM and included a high veterinary bill, low cost-benefit of veterinary services, and high costs to implement advice. Poor veterinary competence in HHM and poor knowledge about effective measures, practical farming, and farm economics were other important obstacles. Veterinarians were perceived to insufficiently describe their services and their benefits, and several participants felt they had never been offered veterinary HHM. Although veterinary HHM may be initiated by the farmer, the participants expected the veterinarian to have special responsibility for the initiation. A firm trust between farmer, staff, and veterinarian was considered crucial for veterinary HHM, but such trust takes a long time to build and can easily be disrupted by, for example, a veterinarian’s poor communication skills or lack of time. Our findings suggest that Swedish dairy farmers and herd managers find disease prevention important and that they perform a wide range of tasks to prevent disease in their animals. However, they do not see what role the veterinarian can play, and veterinarians were mainly associated with treating unhealthy cows. In order to increase the use of veterinary HHM programs the services and potential benefits of such programs need to be communicated more proactively.

Sow meat inspection (MI) and mortality data are important sources of information for use in herd health work. This observational study examined whether MI results of sows associate with sow mortality in Finnish sow herds. We also described some MI findings of sows to create basic references in order to encourage their use in herd health work. The project was widely advertised to farmers of sow herds and practicing veterinarians. Ten herds joined the project voluntarily and 36 other herds after they were contacted by the researchers. MI data (carcass weight, lean meat percentage, arthritis, abscesses, liver condemnations, milk spots, organ condemnations, pleuritis, pneumonia, shoulder ulcers, tail biting, whole carcass condemnations, partial carcass condemnations and kg of meat condemned) were made available by the three largest slaughterhouses in Finland, and sow mortality data were obtained from the National Swine Herd Register for 39 of the study herds for the year 2014. The mean herd size of participating herds was 529 females with a standard deviation of 479 and mean annual mortality 9.0% +/- 5.2%. As much as 22.8% of the 7437 slaughtered sows had at least one MI finding. Heavy carcasses were less likely to have at least one MI finding. A median (range) of 1.8% (0-7.2) and 11.8% (0-34.6) of the sows were recorded to have a whole and partial carcass condemnation, respectively. The most common MI findings were abscesses (5.7%, 0-16.3), shoulder ulcers (3.6%, 0-22.9) and arthritis (2.1%, 0-13.3). In individual carcasses, abscesses were associated with arthritis, shoulder ulcers and pneumonia, which was indicative that these animals most likely had a systemic infection. Pneumonia findings were associated with pleuritis. At the herd level, the increase of sow mortality by 1% was associated with an increased percentage of slaughtered females with at least one MI finding 0.8% (P = 0.01). If sow mortality increased by 1%, the odds ratio for the herd having more than a median percentage of pleuritis was 1.3 (95% confidence interval; 1.01 - 1.57, P = 0.04) compared to the situation of the herd having less than a median percentage of pleuritis. Also, if sow mortality increased by 1%, the percentage of partial carcass condemnations of females increased by 0.4% (P = 0.08). These results suggest that high mortality was associated with an increase of some MI findings. MI results of sows should be used in herd health follow-up of sow health.

This review synthesizes a range of research findings regarding behavioral and production responses to health disorders and subsequent illness detection for herds using automatic (robotic) milking systems (AMS). We discuss the effects of health disorders on cow behavior and production, specifically those variables that are routinely recorded by AMS and associated technologies. This information is used to inform the resultant use of behavior and production variables and to summarize and critique current illness detection studies. For conventional and AMS herds separately, we examined research from the past 20 yr and those variables recorded automatically on-farm that may respond to development of illness and lameness. The main variables identified were milk yield, rumination time, activity, and body weight, in addition to frequency of successful, refused, and fetched (involuntary) milkings in AMS herds. Whether making comparisons within cow or between sick and healthy cows, consistent reductions in activity, rumination time, and milk yield are observed. Lameness, however, had obvious negative effects on milk yield but not necessarily on rumination time or activity. Finally, we discuss detection models for identifying lameness and other health disorders using routinely collected data in AMS, specifically focusing on their scientific validation and any study limitations that create a need for further research. Of the current studies that have worked toward disease detection, many data have been excluded or separated for isolated models (i.e., fresh cows, certain lactation groups, and cows with multiple illnesses or moderate cases). Thus, future studies should (1) incorporate the entire lactating herd while accounting for stage of lactation and parity of each animal; (2) evaluate the deviations that cows exhibit from their own baseline trajectories and relative to healthy contemporaries; (3) combine the use of several variables into health alerts; and (4) differentiate the probable type of health disorder. Most importantly, no model or software currently exists to integrate data and directly support decision-making, which requires further research to bridge the gap between technology and herd health management.

Background: Drivers of change in dairy herd health management include the significant increase in herd/farm size, quota removal (within Europe) and the increase in technologies to aid in dairy cow reproductive management.Main body: There are a number of key areas for improving fertility management these include: i) handling of substantial volumes of data, ii) genetic selection (including improved phenotypes for use in breeding programmes), iii) nutritional management (including transition cow management), iv) control of infectious disease, v) reproductive management (and automated systems to improve reproductive management), vi) ovulation / oestrous synchronisation, vii) rapid diagnostics of reproductive status, and viii) management of male fertility. This review covers the current status and future outlook of many of these key factors that contribute to dairy cow herd health and reproductive performance.Conclusions: In addition to improvements in genetic trends for fertility, numerous other future developments are likely in the near future. These include: i) development of new and novel fertility phenotypes that may be measurable in milk; ii) specific fertility genomic markers; iii) earlier and rapid pregnancy detection; iv) increased use of activity monitors; v) improved breeding protocols; vi) automated inline sensors for relevant phenotypes that become more affordable for farmers; and vii) capturing and mining multiple sources of "Big Data" available to dairy farmers. These should facilitate improved performance, health and fertility of dairy cows in the future.

The second annual Fall Dairy Tour provided a two day, one-night learning opportunity for producers, industry, and potentially new dairy producers to network and learn more about the industry. These tours showcased farms and industry that have seen success in advancing and utilizing genetics, implementing technology, and facility design for improved herd health and efficiency.

Paratuberculosis, or Johne’s disease (JD), is a serious condition of cattle and sheep and can negatively impact herd health and farm productivity. The private veterinary practitioner (PVP) is considered an important source of information for farmers on disease control generally.1–3 Although herd PVPs may actively engage with their clients on JD control strategies, the effectiveness of this engagement and the potential for compliance with control measures can be undermined by a lack of PVP training and confidence in specific JD epidemiology.4 5 A number of countries including Canada, the UK and the Netherlands currently have JD control programmes that involve PVP training and direct farmer engagement, and in which on-farm risk assessment forms a central component.6 There is considerable heterogeneity between these programmes.6 Nevertheless, where a formal control programme is in place, it is essential that a herd’s PVP supports its aims and the approach taken, recognises the necessity of acting on risk-assessment outcomes and is capable of communicating and articulating management recommendations to the farmer.7 (Sorge and others 2010) In October 2013, Animal Health Ireland (AHI) initiated a JD Pilot Dairy Control Programme that ran until December 2016. The Pilot programme comprised herd screening, annual on-farm risk assessments conducted by an approved PVP leading to an agreed management plan and the future development of a framework to enable herd categorisation which either (1) quantified the level of confidence that any given herd participating in the programme with negative test results was truly free of infection or (2) reflected the level of infection in infected herds.8 9 The overarching aim of this Pilot Programme was to test, evaluate and refine the various programme components, including data handling, diagnostic and on-farm advisory elements that would be required to support a future, extended JD control programme …

Achieving and maintaining a high herd health and welfare status is an important aim in organic livestock farming. The varying farming systems across and within countries call for models that are relevant for different farming types and that can be integrated into local practice. In stable schools, farmers take responsibility for health and welfare planning by identifying issues, setting goals, and acting to improve the health situation based on farm-specific data, e.g. milk production. This paper reviews the results from intervention studies that used a modified ‘farmer field school’ approach for animal health and welfare planning, providing an overview of ongoing activities and their implementation into advisory situations in selected European countries. Studies on stable schools as an intervention tool showed improvements regarding the specific project aim on the majority of the participating farms. Farmers and facilitators were convinced of the approach and benefits for dairy herds. Farmers’ attitude and attention towards their herds and their ownership of the process appear to be crucial success factors for herd health and welfare situations. In some European countries, this method has been implemented in advisory practice, and in other regions, there are relevant and promising opportunities.

Cow–calf enterprises in the USA are widely divergent in size, locale, resource availability, management skill, and market focus. Furthermore, variation exists in dependence on the cow–calf enterprise as a primary source of income, perception about the utility of a particular management practice or technology, and assessment of cost: benefit resulting from implementation impact decisions. Enterprises with larger cow inventories, greater dependence on income from the cattle enterprise, and that retain ownership further into the supply chain beyond the cow–calf operation are more likely to institute management protocols such as vaccination programs, defined calving seasons, and reproductive technologies. Successful cow–calf managers place the highest priority on herd nutrition, pasture and range management, herd health, financial management marketing, production management, and genetics. Management practices are more likely to be adopted when they align with a manager's perception of the utility, labor availability, favorable cost: benefit outcomes and profit motivation.

Veterinarians serving dairy clients can provide systematic investigations of nutritional problems. The foundation of a nutritional investigation is a careful evaluation of the diet being consumed by the cows. This information is supplemented by herd health and production records, evaluation of the cows (particularly locomotion and body condition scoring), and biological tests. All data collected during a herd investigation contain inherent error. Diagnostic conclusions from the herd investigation are most plausible when information collected from different sources all indicates similar conclusions.

Dairy cow mortality (unassisted death and euthanasia) has increased, worldwide and in Sweden. On-farm mortality indicates suboptimal herd health or welfare and causes financial loss for the dairy producer. The objective of this study was to identify cow-level risk factors associated with on-farm cow mortality. Cows with at least one calving between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2009 from herds enrolled in the Swedish official milk recording scheme with >40 cow-years were included. Each cow was followed from the day of calving until she calved again or left the herd (died, slaughtered or sold). The effects of potential risk factors on on-farm cow mortality were analysed using a Weibull proportional hazard model with a gamma distributed frailty effect common to cows within herd. The event of interest (failure) was euthanasia or unassisted death. An observation was right censored if the cow was slaughtered, sold, calved again or had an on-going lactation at 500 days after calving. The lactations were split into seasons (January to April, May to August and September to December) and at 30 and 100 days in milk in order to evaluate seasonal effects and the effect of disease in different lactation stages. Primiparous and multiparous cows were analysed separately. The highest hazards for both primiparous and multiparous cows were found for traumatic events and diseases, both in the lactation stage in which the cow died and in the preceding stage. The hazard was higher in early lactation and lower in 2nd parity compared to higher parities. Increased age at first calving (for primiparous cows), calving between January and April, dystocia and stillbirth also increased the mortality hazard. Differences were also found between breeds, between milk production parameters at first test milking and between management types. The results from this study show the importance of good management and preventive health actions, especially around calving, to avoid mortality in dairy cows.

Organic milk production varies due to topographical and structural farm conditions, but very little information is available about this variation in Germany. The aim of this study was to identify typical major farm types (MFTs) of German organic dairy farms and to describe their farm, herd, and management characteristics. Based on data from 204 organic dairy farms from previous studies with representative samples, four MFTs were identified by cluster analysis. Cluster-criteria were herd size, milk yield, region, and housing system. Identified MFTs were (A) medium-scale herds with low-to-medium milk yield, (B) small-scale herds with low milk yield, (C) large-scale herds with high milk yield, and (D) medium-scale herds in Southern Germany with medium milk yield. Descriptive measures of herd management obtained from interviews with 10–11 farms per MFT showed that the MFTs typically differ in more variables than the cluster-criteria. For example, small-scale farms with low milk yield provided the highest and large-scale farms with high milk yield the lowest pasture access, while the amount of concentrate fed showed an inverse association. No significant differences were found regarding herd health indicators. The results showed that different management strategies can lead to similar results regarding herd health and longevity. However, achieving high milk yields in organic dairy herds also requires high input, not only in terms of feed with a high-energy density like maize or concentrates but also in terms of preventive health measures. Thus, for research and recommendations variation between different dairy farm types should be taken into account.

Dairy herd mortality rates have increased over the last 3 decades but dairy producers appear to be underutilizing veterinarians to perform postmortem examinations. The purpose of this project was to identify dairy veterinarian motivations and barriers for performing necropsies and use of diagnostic laboratories. A 33-question online survey was developed and a link sent to members of a dairy veterinary continuing education group in the western United States. Fifty-two veterinarians responded and many (70%) were offering 12 or more services to their dairy clients, including necropsy. Although 88% of dairy veterinarians surveyed considered necropsy to be a very to extremely useful tool, only 19% said all dairies within their practice utilized necropsy services. The producer's refusal of the service was the primary reason that discouraged practitioners from performing a necropsy (69%), followed by time (44%), cost (38%), and carcass disposal (27%). Factors most commonly reported to promote a necropsy were 'multiple animals affected' (85%) and 'unexplained death' (75%). Because identification of a cause of death could inform herd health management, these results indicate an opportunity to educate dairy producers on the value of necropsy services., The Bovine Practitioner, Vol. 51, No. 2 (2017 Summer)

Herd health and production management (HHPM) are critical aspects of production animal veterinary practice; therefore, dairy veterinarians need to effectively deliver these services. However, limited research that can inform veterinary education has been conducted to characterise these farm visits. The aim of the present study was to assess the applicability of action cameras (eg, GoPro cameras) worn by veterinarians to provide on-farm recordings, and the suitability of these recordings for comprehensive communication analyses. Seven veterinarians each recorded three dairy HHPM visits. Recordings were analysed using the Roter interaction analysis system (RIAS), which has been used to evaluate medical conversations in human and companion animal contexts, and provided insights regarding the importance of effective clinical communication. However, the RIAS has never been used in a production animal environment. Results of this pilot study indicate that on-farm recordings were suitable for RIAS coding. Dairy practitioners use a substantial amount of talk allocated to relationship-building and farmer education but that communication patterns of the same veterinarian vary considerably between farm visits. Consecutive studies using this method will provide observational data for research purposes and promise to aid in the improvement of veterinary education through identification of communication priorities and gaps in dairy advisory discussions.

Organic dairy farmers must live up to the organic goal of 'good health' in respect the organic principles and regulation. Veterinarians could be the organic dairy farmers' expected sparring partners in reaching this goal but have found difficulties to establish advisory relationships with them. The objectives of this study are -from organic dairy farmers' points of view- (i) to describe farmers' objectives and strategies regarding herd health, (ii) to describe private veterinarians' roles in farmers' animal health promotion strategies and (iii) to identify farmers' reasons for accepting veterinarians in an advisory role. Fourteen organic dairy farmers were interviewed using qualitative research interviews. Data collection and analysis was performed using a modified approach to Grounded Theory. Organic dairy farmers had animal health management strategies focusing on animal health promotion. Veterinarians had most often solely the role of therapist in farmers' animal health management strategies. Reasons explaining that veterinarians were not able to establish advisory roles were found in the differences between veterinarians and farmers regarding their animal health strategies and solutions to disease problems. Furthermore, veterinarians did not always share farmers' (organic) objectives, values and priorities and this could lead to disagreement on the best choice in animal health management practices. This might be further amplified in situations where there exists a lack of dialogue and mutual interest in other.

This chapter aims to describe significant aspects of the most common nutritional/metabolic diseases caused by insufficient or disbalanced nutrients intake, such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and macro or trace minerals, and their repercussion in goat metabolism. Goats are opportunistic feeding behavior animals, choosing the best nutrients in both hard environments or even in feed availability periods. In some conditions, e.g., poor quality forages in nutrients, and/or when energy or nutrient requirements overpasses their intake capacity and availability, goats may not keep metabolic homeostasis. Pregnant toxemia, urolithiasis, polioencephalomalacia, and selenium or vitamin E deficiency are major diseases with impact in production, reproduction and/or health in both low- and high-producing goats or their kids. In high-producing dairy goats, due to their higher nutritional demands, increased incidence of the called “production diseases” is observed. Subacute ruminal acidosis, lactational ketosis, hepatic lipidose, hypocalcemia and low milk fat syndrome are also major problem in dairy herds to require special attention. Risk factors of these disorders should be taken into account in nutritional and feed management programs. A holistic approach regarding these programs and herd health management are crucial to control or prevent nutritional and metabolic diseases in farms.

The municipality of Ji-Paraná, Rondônia, is one of the major dairy production areas in the north region of Brazil. Thus, it is important to evaluate infectious agents that have the potential to negatively affect productivity in the industry. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of ' Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos' by using a PCR-based detection method and correlate this with dairy herd variables (abortion frequency, weak calf birth rate, total cattle number, >24-month-old cow number, farm size, and production system) in family farms of the Ji-Paraná municipality, north region, Brazil. Blood samples were collected from 320 dairy cows located across 64 farms (i.e., five animals per farm) from September 2012 to November 2013. Overall prevalence of 'Ca. M. haemobos' was 64.2% and prevalence per herd was 95.3%; the number of >24-month-old cows in the farms studied correlated with ' Ca. M. haemobos' infection rates. Considering the importance of the dairy industry to the study area, additional investigations are necessary to evaluate the effect of chronic infection in these animals on milk production and herd health. RESUMO: O município de Ji-Paraná, Rondônia, é uma das principais áreas de produção leiteira na região norte do Brasil. Assim, é importante avaliar agentes infecciosos que apresentam potencial para afetar negativamente a produtividade na indústria. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a prevalência de ' Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos' usando um método de detecção baseado na PCR e relacionar com variáveis do rebanho leiteiro (frequência de aborto, nascimento de bezerros fracos, número total de vacas, número de vacas >24 meses de idade, tamanho da propriedade e, sistema de produção) na agricultura familiar do município de Ji-Paraná, região norte, Brasil. Amostras de sangue foram coletadas de 320 vacas leiteiras localizadas em 64 fazendas (ou seja, cinco animais por exploração) de setembro de 2012 a novembro de 2013. A prevalência total de ' Ca. M. haemobos' foi de 64,2% e a prevalência por rebanho foi de 95,3%; o número de vacas >24 meses de idade nas propriedades estudadas correlacionou-se com as taxas de infecção por ' Ca. M. haemobos'. Considerando a importância da indústria de laticínios para a área de estudo, investigações adicionais são necessárias para avaliar o efeito da infecção crônica nestes animais na produção de leite e saúde do rebanho.

Large amounts of data from meat inspections can be used as a tool to support interventions for improvement of herd health. We applied time-series analyses on 3.5 years of meat inspection data of two pig slaughterhouses to identify differences in health aberration patterns over time at farm-level. A negligibly evidence of seasonality and a substantial trend pattern in percentage aberrations over time were identified. Differences exist in percentage health aberrations between the farms and months. This distinction is more elaborate than just grouping farms on basis of aberration incidence. Monitoringsdata aan de slachtlijn kunnen gebruik worden om verschillen tussen bedrijven qua diergezondheid meer systematisch op te sporen. Van twee slachterijen zijn een half miljoen dieren geanalyseerd op de afwijkingen van longen, lever, huid en poten. De gegevens zijn afkomstig van 44 bedrijven en meer dan 5000 leveringen. Deze bedrijven zijn geclusterd op incidentie van afwijkingen, maar ook op bv seizoensgevoeligheid en voorspelbaarheid van het vóórkomen van afwijkingen. De resultaten wijzen op systematische variatie tussen bedrijven die tot nu toe nog niet beschikbaar was. Een clustering als deze kan helpen bij het onderkennen van riscofactoren voor slachtafwijkingen. Als de bedrijfskenmerken gekoppeld kunnen worden aan de bedrijfscategorisering, kan onderzocht worden welke bedrijfsfactoren kenmerkend zijn voor de betreffende clusters.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are gaining popularity with agriculture producers to perform daily activities such as monitoring livestock and plant health. With the expense of a UAV, producers require more than just pictures and video to be cost effective. This project sought to retrofit a device on a UAV to capture temperature data emitted from ear tags on cattle. The questions to be answered were: (1) can the UAV handle the weight of the recorder without negatively affecting flight time, (2) what is the flying height that could be used for data recording, and (3) does the UAV negatively affect cattle behavior when flying over? UAV performance while taking livestock data was recorded daily for two months. Results indicated the UAV could carry the data receiver and its power source with a negligible reduction in flight time. Battery life was reduced from an average of 19 minutes to 17.5 minutes. Also, data was accurately recorded at flying heights of 50-400 feet, with the optimal altitude determined to be 150 feet. At this altitude, a producer could potentially monitor cattle on 38 acres per hour. At all flying heights, the animals appeared unaffected by the UAV. The ability to remotely monitor livestock health adds to the advantages a producer can reap from utilizing UAV technology.

International audience; Pig farmers are strongly encouraged to reduce their antimicrobial usage because of the rising threat from antimicrobial resistance. However, such efforts should not compromise the herd health status and performance. This study aimed to describe the profile of so-called ‘top-farms’ that managed to combine both high technical performance and low antimicrobial usage. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 227 farrow-to-finish farms in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. Among them, 44 farms were allocated to the top-farms group and were compared with the ’regular’ farms group in terms of farm characteristics, biosecurity and health status. Top-farms had fewer gastrointestinal symptoms in suckling pigs and fewer respiratory symptoms in fatteners, which could partly explain their reduced need for antimicrobials and higher performance. They also had higher biosecurity and were located in sparsely populated pig areas. However, 14 farms of the top-farms group were located in densely populated pig areas, but still managed to have low usage and high technical performance; they had higher internal biosecurity and more extensive vaccination against respiratory pathogens. These results illustrate that it is possible to control infectious diseases using other approaches than high antimicrobial usage, even in farms with challenging environmental and health conditions.

This intervention study investigated the effect of farm specific concentrate amounts and concentrate feeding reduction over two years on herd health and production in 69 organic dairy herds considering further feeding management factors and herd characteristics. All farms were participating in the Swiss ‘Feed no Food’ project and decided for themselves the extent of the reduction they desired in concentrate feeding amounts. The average concentrate amount fed before project start was 363 kg/cow/year. The maximum amount of concentrate was 10% of the yearly dry matter intake, according to the Swiss organic ‘Bio Suisse’ standards. Health and production data were calculated at farm level from milk recording data. Somatic cell score (SCS) and calving interval (CI) were used as indicators for udder health and fertility, respectively. Medicine use was assessed as the total number of veterinary treatments (TM) generated from obligatory farm records. Milk recording data and treatment data were collected retrospectively for a one-year period before and during the two year project period. Concentrate amounts, feeding management factors, and herd characteristics were assessed by questionnaires. The intervention was performed as an advising process regarding feeding and herd health during quarterly farm visits and regular contacts with the farmers after receiving new milk recording data. General linear models for repeated measurements were used to analyse the development at farm level. A significant reduction in concentrate feeding, to an average concentrate amount of 276 kg/cow/year, was achieved within the project period. Milk yield and TM incidences were higher and CIs were longer if more concentrates were fed in general, but these parameters were not related to a reduction in concentrate feeding within the project years. The total amount and the reduction in concentrate feeding within the project showed no association with SCS. Within breeds, Holstein Friesians had the highest milk yield, and Swiss Brown Cattle had the highest incidences of TM compared to the other breeds. Larger herds showed higher SCSs and lower CIs. Herds with mostly or entirely bought-in replacement heifers had higher SCS. Herds with more own replacement heifers than bought-in heifers showed lower CIs than herds with entirely own young stock or entirely bought-in replacement heifers. Regarding feeding management, maize as a component of the roughage ration was significantly related to a higher milk yield. In summary, under Swiss roughage based dairy production conditions, a reduction in concentrate use was achieved after a two year intervention study, compared to the year before project start, without significant losses in milk yield, health and fertility status.

Antibiotic dry cow therapy (ADCT) is a crucial component for the control of contagious mastitis pathogens as part of a herd's mastitis control policy and recent research has again highlighted the excellent cure rates achieved with ADCT, despite ‘apparent’ cure rates across the dry period averaging much lower than those published. However, following the control of the classic contagious mastitis pathogens, environmental pathogens such as Escherichia coli and Streptococcus uberis have become significantly more important and have resulted in a shift in emphasis at drying off, away from identifying those cows with a persistent infection towards protecting those without. This means there are two clear roles for any dry cow therapy, i.e. the cure of existing infections and the prevention of new ones, giving rise to a challenge for veterinary herd health advisors. This should lead to an increased awareness of the importance of taking an individual cow approach to dry cow therapy — moving away from ‘blanket’ ADCT approaches, using internal teat sealants and products with extended Gram-negative activity to protect against new infections and regularly reviewing the use of ADCT in herds as part of prescribing antimicrobials responsibly.

Expansion of the meat inspection process to incorporate animal-based welfare measurements could contribute towards significant improvements in pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) welfare and farm profitability. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of different welfare-related lesions on the carcase and their relationship with carcase condemnations (CC) and carcase weight (CW). The financial implications of losses associated with CC and CW reductions related to the welfare lesions were also estimated. Data on tail lesions, loin bruising and bursitis, CW and condemnation/trimming outcome (and associated weights) were collected for 3,537 slaughter pigs (mean [± SEM] carcase weight: 79.2 [± 8.82] kg). Overall, 72.5% of pigs had detectable tail lesions, whilst 16.0 and 44.0% were affected by severe loin bruising and hind limb bursitis, respectively. There were 2.5% of study carcases condemned and a further 3.3% were trimmed. The primary cause of CC was abscessation. While tail lesion severity did not increase the risk of abscessation, it was significantly associated with CC. Male pigs had a higher risk of tail lesions and of CC. The financial loss to producers associated with CC and trimmings was estimated at €1.10 per study pig. CW was reduced by up to 12 kg in cases of severe tail lesions. However, even mild lesions were associated with a significant reduction in CW of 1.2 kg. The value of the loss in potential CW associated with tail lesions was €0.59 per study pig. Combined with losses attributable to CC and trimmings this represented a loss of 43% of the profit margin per pig, at the time of the study, attributable to tail biting. These findings illustrate the magnitude of the impact of tail biting on pig welfare and on profitability of the pig industry. They also emphasise the potential contribution that the inclusion of welfare parameters at meat inspection could make to pig producers in informing herd health and welfare management plans.

Equine herpesviruses (EHV) are some of the most widespread pathogens in the equine world. EHV-1 and 4 cause diverse and important disease syndromes. One of these, equine herpes myeloencephalopathy (EHM), is potentially increasing in frequency and is regarded as an emerging disease. The confusing terminology of neuropathogenic strains and non-neuropathogenic strains are explored and the reliance in a clinical setting on this molecular differentiation discouraged. The accurate diagnosis and treatment of EHM is a challenge and an evolving area which is explored with emphasis on recent advances. Practical biosecurity and herd health measures are critical to the prevention of EHM and laid out as per the national code of conducts. The complex role of vaccination is discussed and a framework given to vaccination use in a field setting.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi adaptar e testar uma metodologia participativa para promover e avaliar as mudanças de percepção e de atitude dos agricultores com relação às práticas de manejo sanitário da ordenha, através da construção e uso de indicadores que permitissem aos agricultores um processo de ação-avaliação constante. Foi realizado um estudo de caso em quatro Unidades de Produção Familiar (UPF), no município de Guaraciaba (SC), envolvidas na atividade leiteira. Após a caracterização das UPF e diagnóstico sanitário do rebanho, foi feita a construção participativa de indicadores de manejo sanitário de ordenha, a qual foi utilizada pelos agricultores ao longo de três meses para avaliação de suas práticas de manejo. Ao final desse período, foram realizadas entrevistas com as famílias participantes para apreender a sua percepção a respeito da metodologia empregada. Os agricultores avaliaram positivamente o uso da metodologia, destacando a melhoria de vários indicadores, devido às mudanças de atitudes. Destacaram também que a eficiência da metodologia se deve ao fato de ela proporcionar uma reflexão sobre aspectos reais da vida dos agricultores. Assim, a proposta metodológica participativa utilizada neste trabalho, dentro de uma perspectiva emancipadora, mostrou-se uma importante ferramenta de avaliação de sistemas, coerente com as premissas da Política Nacional de Assistência Técnica e Extensão Rural - PNATER.

Biosecurity planning for beef herds will depend on the aspirations of the farmer, the type of herd and the particular diseases that threaten the health of the herd. Herd specific plans can be created that are practical, affordable and effective in minimising the impact of any disease on herd health, when combined with other disease control measures, such as managing biocontainment, surveillance and resilience. This article outlines the principles of biosecurity and the practicalities of implementing biosecurity procedures within the resources available on the farm. It also highlights some particular measures that can be taken to avoid specific disease threats.

Although antibiotic use in the dairy sector is relatively low when compared with other species such as pigs and poultry, dairy herds are likely to come under increasing scrutiny regarding the use of antimicrobials to prevent endemic diseases, particularly in the context of mastitis control. While the treatment of existing infections remains an important part of mastitis herd health, it is prudent to consider the use of antibiotics in mastitis control within the framework of the British Veterinary Association's recent guide to the responsible use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary practice. Working with clients to avoid the need for antimicrobials using disease control programmes is the first of eight points in the guide and the most important; the recent roll-out of the national DairyCo Mastitis Control Plan has prompted renewed interest in the prevention and control of new intramammary infections and therefore minimising the use of antibiotics in mastitis control.

The objectives of this study were to obtain information about animal health challenges for dairy farmers of small- and medium-sized herds and about the fields in which consultancy services should be improved. The hyperlink to an internet-based survey was sent to 9,021 farmers in Austria. The survey included questions about the participants and their farms, about who is consulting with the farmers with regard to animal health, feeding, sire selection, construction of barns and animal husbandry, about animal health issues farmers find most challenging, and about their demands for improved consultancy services. The questionnaire was completed anonymously. Analyses were stratified by milk yield (categorized) and whether farmers worked full-time or part-time. The overall response rate was 11.3% (n=1,018). The majority of farms kept less than 20 cows (54.0%) or 20 to 50 cows (40.1%). With regard to animal health, the veterinarian was the most important consultant for the majority of farmers (84.6%). On issues related to feeding, sire selection, and stable construction, the veterinarian was seen as a less important consultant than specialists in these fields (20.4, 11.6, and 7.9% suggested the veterinarian as an important consultant in these areas). The survey indicated that reproductive disorders, udder disease, poor conception rate, lameness, and calf diarrhea represent the most important challenges to farmers. Of these, concerns about calf diarrhea were affected by milk yield of the herds and management. More high- than low-yielding farms (11.7 vs. 6.4%) and more full-time than part-time managed herds (9.6 vs.4.3%) regarded calf diarrhea as an important problem. Farmers would welcome improved consultancy with regard to fertility, feeding, and sire selection. The results indicated which animal health issues farmers find particularly challenging and displayed which areas farmers require improved consultancy services. Veterinarians and organizations offering consultancy should take the results into consideration in improving or adapting their advisory services.

The objective of this study was to describe the udder health management in Swiss dairy herds with udder health problems. One hundred dairy herds with a yield-corrected somatic cell count of 200'000 to 300'000 cells/ml during 2010 were selected. Data concerning farm structure, housing system, milking technique, milking procedures, dry-cow and mastitis management were collected during farm visits between September and December 2011. In addition, quarter milk samples were collected for bacteriological culturing from cows with a composite somatic cell count ≥ 150'000 cells/ml. The highest quarter level prevalence was 12.3 % for C. bovis. Eighty-two percent of the pipeline milking machines in tie-stalls and 88 % of the milking parlours fulfilled the criteria for the vacuum drop, and only 74 % of the pipeline milking machines met the criteria of the 10-l-water test. Eighty-five percent of the farms changed their milk liners too late. The correct order of teat preparation before cluster attachment was carried out by 37 % of the farmers only. With these results, Swiss dairy farmers and herd health veterinarians can be directed to common mistakes in mastitis management. The data will be used for future information campaigns to improve udder health in Swiss dairy farms.

Many pathogens are sensitive to climatic variables and this is reflected in their seasonality of occurrence and transmission. The identification of environmental conditions that influence disease occurrence can be subtle, particularly considering their complex interdependencies in addition to those relationships between climate and disease. Statistical treatment of environmental variables is often dependent on their correlations and thus descriptions of climate are often restricted to means rather than accounting for the more precise aspects (including mean, maximum, minimum, variability). Here we utilize a novel multivariate statistical modelling approach, additive Bayesian network (ABN) analyses, to identify the inter-linkages of different weather variables to better capture short-term environmental conditions that are important drivers of disease. We present a case study that explores weather as a driver of disease in livestock systems. We utilize quality assurance health scheme data on ten major diseases of pigs from 875 finishing pig herds distributed across the United Kingdom over 7 years (2005–2011). We examine the relationship between the occurrence of these pathologies and contemporary weather conditions measured by local meteorological stations. All ten pathologies were associated with at least 2 other pathologies (maximum 6). Three pathologies were associated directly with temperature variables: papular dermatitis, enzootic pneumonia and milk spots. Latitude was strongly associated with multiple pathologies, though associations with longitude were eliminated when clustering for repeated observations of farms was assessed. The identification of relationships between climatic factors and different (potentially related) diseases offers a more comprehensive insight into the complex role of seasonal drivers and herd health status than traditional analytical methods.

Dairy cow lameness is at an unacceptably high level in the UK and has been identified by the Farm Animal Welfare Council as an important area for improvement. For the veterinary practitioner, it can be a daunting and difficult task to establish a foothold in this important area of herd health. This article describes some of the elements of a successful approach to lameness reduction and briefly describes the DairyCo Healthy Feet Programme, which is an example of an advisory and training package that can be offered as a fee-earning service to dairy clients by suitably trained veterinary surgeons.

Vaccines are useful for managing risk to the farm from infectious diseases. However, there are a large number of vaccines on the market and the farmer has a large number of management tasks to complete during the calendar year. This precludes the blanket usage of vaccines due to limitations of time and resources. Several factors influence the timing and type of vaccine chosen, such as the presence or absence of endemic disease on the farm and how the different vaccines work. It must also be considered that, due to the large number of vaccines administered, the probability of adverse events is quite high and client expectation should be managed with this in mind. This article addresses the rationale for choosing the most appropriate vaccination programme to meet the farmer9s needs. These thoughts should be built into the herd health plan to allow the farmer to gain the most benefit from the choice of interventions.

Veterinarians could be the expected sparring partners of organic dairy farmers in promoting animal health which is one of the main organic principles. However, in the past organic dairy farmers did not always consider veterinarians to be pertinent advisors for them. The objectives of this study are – from private veterinary practitioners’ point of views- i) to describe the roles of veterinarians today in organic dairy farmers’ animal health promotion strategies, ii) to identify factors related to organic farming which determine their role on organic dairy farms, and, iii) to identify opportunities for improvement of veterinarians’ advisory services for organic dairy herds. Fourteen veterinarians, providing herd health advisory services to dairy farmers, were interviewed using qualitative semi-structured research interviews. A modified approach to Grounded Theory was used for data collection and analysis. Most often veterinarians had only contact with the organic dairy farmers in cases of individual ill animals or acute herd health problems. Even though certain veterinarians experienced situations and approaches of animal health and welfare on organic dairy farms not meeting their standards, they were not always able to establish themselves an advisory role supporting farmers in improving this. Indeed, organic production principles, regulations and farmers’ health approaches challenged veterinarians’ values on animal health and welfare and their perceptions of ‘good veterinary practices’. Also, some veterinarians considered that there was no direct economic interest for them in the organic dairy sector and that could diminish their willingness to invest in this sector. Possible opportunities for improvement were identified; for example proposing more proactively advice via existing organisations, by making adaptations to advisory services for the organic sector and/or by dissociating veterinarians’ curative role from their advisory role in disease prevention.

Although most commonly associated with the infection of domestic livestock, the replication of pestiviruses, in particular the two species of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), occurs in a wide range of free ranging cervids including white-tailed deer, mule deer, fallow deer, elk, red deer, roe deer, eland and mousedeer. While virus isolation and serologic analyses indicate that pestiviruses are circulating in these populations, little is known regarding their impact. The lack of regular surveillance programs, challenges in sampling wild populations, and scarcity of tests and vaccines compound the difficulties in detecting and controlling pestivirus infections in wild cervids. Improved detection rests upon the development and validation of tests specific for use with cervid samples and development and validation of tests that reliably detect emerging pestiviruses. Estimation of impact of pestivirus infections on herd health will require the integration of several disciplines including epidemiology, cervid natural history, veterinary medicine, pathology and microbiology.

Veterinarians often express frustrations when farmers do not implement their advice, and farmers sometimes shake their heads when they receive veterinary advice which is practically unfeasible. This is the background for the development of a focused 3 page economic report created in cooperation between veterinarians, farmers, advisers and researchers. Based on herd specific key-figures for management, the report presents the short- and long-term economic effects of changes in 15 management areas. Simulations are performed by the dairy herd simulation model “SimHerd”. The aim is to assist the veterinarian in identifying the economically most favorable and feasible management improvements and thereby provide more relevant and prioritised advice to the farmer.In the developing process, a prototype of the advisory tool was tested by 15 veterinarians on 55 farms. After the test period, a selection of farmers were asked to take part in a qualitative evaluation questioning them whether they had implemented the action plans suggested on basis of the advisory tool and making them explain what made them agree or disagree on the results from this new advisory tool. The aim of this process was to evaluate the farmers’ receptiveness to advice based on these economic analyses. We found that the analysed advisory tool (the report) can be seen as a valuable help and support for some farmers when deciding whether to implement the action plans. However, certain reservations were recognised. The trustworthiness of the tool depends on whether the veterinarians are able to suggest to the farmer which specific management changes are needed to obtain the estimated effects and what the related expenses might be (costs). Without transparency of expenses, time-limits, work hours and so on, farmers may not be convinced by the tool.

Resumo: A ovinocultura no Brasil é uma atividade em grande expansão e, com o aumento da demanda mundial por carne ovina, aumentou-se o interesse no monitoramento da sanidade do rebanho, utilizando diversas ferramentas como auxiliares no diagnóstico clínico, tais como os intervalos de referência séricos. Os elementos minerais constituem 2 a 5,5% do corpo dos vertebrados, exercendo diversas funções no organismo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi obter intervalos de referência para os eletrólitos magnésio, fósforo, cloreto e cálcio para ovinos das raças Dorper e Santa Inês. Foram coletados soros de 487 animais clinicamente sadios, sendo 146 da raça Dorper e 341 da raça Santa Inês. Os eletrólitos foram mensurados utilizando-se kits comerciais. Os dados foram analisados quanto à raça, sexo e idade, e os intervalos de referência determinados. Os resultados revelaram diferenças significativas nos intervalos de referência obtidos para os eletrólitos cálcio e magnésio na variável raça, e para o eletrólito fósforo na variável faixa etária e, quando confrontados com valores de referência já publicados, comprovou-se a existência de diferença estatística significativa entre os mesmos em todos os analitos estudados. Abstract: The sheep industry in Brazil is an important economic activity, and with the increasing global demand for sheep meat there is a great interest in the monitoring of the herd health, and serum reference ranges are basic tools for veterinary clinical pathology assays. Mineral elements correspond to 2-5.5% of the body of vertebrates, holding different functions in their physiology. The objective of this study was to obtain reference intervals of the electrolytes magnesium, phosphorus, chloride and calcium for the Dorper and Saint Ines sheep breeds. Sera samples were collected from 487 clinically healthy sheep, 146 from Dorper and 341 from Santa Ines breed. Electrolytes were measured using commercial kits. Data were analyzed taking the race, sex and age variables in account, and reference ranges were established. The results revealed significant statistical differences in reference ranges obtained for the electrolytes calcium and magnesium concerning the variable race, and for the electrolyte phosphorus in the variable age and, when compared with reference values already published, proved the existence of significant differences.

The objectives of this study were to report performance and management data taken from a sample of UK dairy farms that have participated in the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Dairy Mastitis Control Plan (DMCP) and to identify important mastitis prevention practices that are not currently widely implemented. A total of 234 UK dairy herds were included in the study from which farm management and udder health data were collected. Herds were grouped according to their mastitis epidemiology and could be classed as (i) environmental dry period (EDP) (i.e. environmental pathogen with majority of infections being acquired during the dry period), (ii) environmental lactation (EL), (iii) contagious dry period (CDP) or (iv) contagious lactation (CL). The results of this study showed that many mastitis-related management practices that are generally considered to be important were not widely performed. A better understanding of those practices not widely adopted by UK dairy farmers at present may aid practitioners in identifying and overcoming potential barriers to improved mastitis control.

Production diseases have an important negative effect on the health and welfare of dairy cows. Although organic animal production systems aim for high animal health levels, compliance with European organic farming regulations does not guarantee that this is achieved. Herd health and production management (HHPM) programs aim at optimizing herd health by preventing disease and production problems, but as yet they have not been consistently implemented by farmers. We hypothesize that one reason is the mismatch between what scientists propose as indicators for herd health monitoring and what farmers would like to use. Herd health monitoring is a key element in HHPM programs as it permits a regular assessment of the functioning of the different components of the production process. Planned observations or measurements of these components are indispensable for this monitoring. In this study, a participatory approach was used to create an environment in which farmers could adapt the indicators proposed by scientists for monitoring the five main production diseases on dairy cattle farms. The adaptations of the indicators were characterized and the farmers' explanations for the changes made were described. The study was conducted in France and Sweden, which differ in terms of their national organic regulations and existing advisory services. In both countries, twenty certified organic dairy farmers and their animal health management advisors participated in the study. All of the farmers adapted the initial monitoring plan proposed by scientists to specific production and animal health situation on their farm. This resulted in forty unique and farm-specific combinations of indicators for herd health monitoring. All but three farmers intended to monitor five health topics simultaneously using the constructed indicators. The qualitative analysis of the explanations given by farmers for their choices enabled an understanding of farmers' reasons for selecting and adapting indicators. This is valuable information for scientists involved in the design of HHPM programs. Advisors in the field also can benefit from this participatory approach because it transforms monitoring tools provided by scientists into farm-specific tools.