School of Veterinary Medicine and Science Dairy Cow Health (and Welfare): A cause for concern?...

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School of Veterinary Medicine and Science

Dairy Cow Health (and Welfare):A cause for concern?Mission Impossible?

Martin GreenProf Cattle Health and Epidemiology

Jon HuxleyAssoc Prof Cattle Health

Population Health Group

Thanks to…SVMS Population HealthStaff:Dr Andrew BatesDr Andrew BatesDr Marnie BrennanDr Marnie BrennanDr Rachel Dean (Director Evidence-based Vet Med Centre) Prof Martin Green Prof Martin Green Dr Jon Huxley Dr Jon Huxley Dr Nigel Kendall Dr Nigel Kendall Prof Jamie Leigh Prof Jamie Leigh Adam Spencer Adam Spencer Dr Wendela WapenaarDr Wendela Wapenaar Dr Lisa Yon

Postgraduate Students:Aurélien Madouasse Aurélien Madouasse Sarah Potterton Sarah Potterton Hannah RobbinsHannah RobbinsJennifer WillsDavid BlackDavid Black

Special Profs / Lecturers:Prof Laura GreenProf Laura GreenJames Husband James Husband Peter OrpinPeter Orpin

Dairy Herd Health Group:

Andy Biggs Andy Biggs Dr James Breen Dr James Breen Mark Burnell Mark Burnell Alistair Hayton Alistair Hayton Bill May Bill May Jon Reader Jon Reader Jon Statham Jon Statham Mike ThorneMike Thorne

RCVS Trust Clinical Resident :Simon ArcherSimon Archer

Our Perspective

• Dairy cows• Cow health/welfare and a ‘free’ global

market– Close to farm– Research in bovine health

• Role of the veterinary surgeon of today and tomorrow

• Author views!

Dairy Cow Welfare

• A state of ‘wellbeing’, ‘normality’, physical and emotional norm

• 5 freedoms– from hunger and thirst– from discomfort– from pain, injury and disease– to express normal behaviour– from fear and distress

• Health an important component of good welfare– Terminology used in a variety of ways

Dairy Cow Welfare

Ill health

Suffering by– ‘Hurt’ (sensations eg aches, stabs, heat etc)– Emotional state altered– Behavioural changes

Dairy Industry

But within this market…

In what way are cows losing out?

•Health– NB Other aspectse.g. BehavioursFear, distressDiscomfortNutrition

Concerns - Lameness

UK Incidence Rate (Cows treated/100cows/year)

Year of survey

Reported lameness incidence 1960-2000

Lame cows/100 cows/year

Independent

UK Prevalence

• Proportion of the herd affected:– 34% (0 – 70%)

• (Heath Feet Project 2006-07)

– 30.0% (8.5 – 74.2%)• (Huxley 2005)

– 24.2% (6.8 – 55.6%)• (Huxley et al 2004)

– 23.1% & 20.0% • (Main et al 2003)

– 20.6% (2 – 53.9%)• (Clarkson et al 1996)

Concerns – Mastitis“Inflammation of the Mammary Gland”

• Clinical cases

• Subclinical infections• Somatic Cell Counts

Incidence Rate of Clinical Mastitis

Farm in ascending order of incidence rate

Bradley et al 2007

>50 cases/100 cows/yr

Herd Somatic Cell Counts

Bulk tank SCC in 1845 herds over 3 years

45% herd test days above 200,000

Somatic Cell Counts

Individual Cow in 1845 herds over 3 years

• 25% herds: >30% cow-readings 25% herds: >30% cow-readings above 200,000 cells/mlabove 200,000 cells/ml

• 25% herds : > 20% cows remain 25% herds : > 20% cows remain above 200,000 cells/ml for 2 above 200,000 cells/ml for 2 consecutive recordingsconsecutive recordings

Concerns - Reproduction

• Dairy cow fertility has been declining globally over the last 20 years ~rate of 1% per year

• Most common reason for non-emergency culling– 30-50% of all culls

Concerns - Metabolic Disease?

• Displaced abomasa• Hypocalcaemia• (Sub clinical) Ketosis

Concerns – Infectious disease

• BVD, IBR, Johnes, Leptosporosis, Neospora, calf pneumonia …

• National prevalence?– BVD / Leptosporosis >90% herds affected?– Test difficulties

• Lack of co-ordinated efforts to control?

Concerns - Calving Management?

• Calving associated– Incidence rate?– A common cause of

on-farm emergency culling and death of adult dairy cows?

Cow health could be better...

Why are cows losing out?

Important market drivers?

• Cheap (healthy, ethical) food– More for less mentality?

• Global ‘oversupply’ for many years (until recently)– Important driver of dairy prices(niches within…)

• Cheap food is great but …

• Is there enough in the farm budget for– Capital projects– Skilled labour (if available)

• Attention to detail

– Novel technologies

• Our demands on each cow tend to increase

– Increased metabolic load

Increased Metabolic Load…

• Human Energy Requirements• Manual work or moderate exercise

~1.2 times maintenance

• Tour de France Cyclist• 2.7 x M

• Polar Expeditions• 2.4 – 3.4 x M

• Average UK Dairy Cow• 3.2 x M

• High yielding dairy cow• 4.8 x M

• Our demands on each cow tend to increase

– Genetics focused on output (recently reduced)

– Farm environments need adapting for modern cows?

Unsuitable environments?

• Cubicle size

Concrete

It’s not just housing…!!

What a Market doesn’t ask:-

Cow NEEDS?

Provide resources to meet needs?

Dairy Industry

Public perception of dairying good at present?

– A distant view?– Will it change…

An Example: Mr F, Somerset

• Current performance– Lame - top 5%– Repro - top 5%– Mastitis – top 20%

– 9000 litres/cow/yr– Housed ~75% of the year

• Good farmer, cows quiet, in very good condition, cow focused environment

• Many years of poor milk prices…

As soon as milk prices increased …

…invested in new buildings / environment for the cows

Farmer approach…

• Many would like to spend more on improving cow health and welfare

– But variation in attitudes

Not always clear return on investment for health / welfare matters

Farmer approach…

• Many different personalities and abilities– No training required– Little regular quality assurance

Basic ‘Health’ Schemes…– National dairy farm assurance scheme– Retailer schemes

But who will improve the cow’s situation?

Farmer ?Milk Buyer ?

Retailer ?

Govern-ment ?

Consumer?

Vets?Welfare Groups ?Funding

bodies

But who will improve the cow’s situation?

?Mission Impossible

Modern Veterinary Approach to Managing Dairy Herd Health

• Many vet practices undertaking dairy herd health management– NOT JUST HEALTH PLANNING!!– ? How many herds are included in holistic veterinary

herd health schemes?

• … elements of our approach

Approach to Managing Dairy Herd Health

• Farms opt in• Payment schemes

– Fixed pence per litre (contract) to deliver agreed services

– Services include • All aspects of health• +/ Diet formulation• Agreed out of hours component• Agreed surgical component• Agreed small animal component!

• Main health elements– Reproduction– Lameness– Mastitis– Metabolic conditions– Infectious & parasitic disease– Injury– Nutrition– Culling reasons– Young stock– Biosecurity

ObjectivesRecording

Evaluation/interpretationTargets achieved?

Yes or No

Problem analysisProblem analysis(diagnosis + intervention)(diagnosis + intervention)

• Herd size is increasing(~20% cows in herds >200 cows)– Assess cows and environment, but– Emphasis on data and its interpretation-

POPULATIONS

• Monitor “Critical Indicators” – Provide early warning systems of health and

production issues– Use of software

Data Monitoring – Critical Indicators

• Monthly or fortnightly assessment of early indicators of health or production

• Realistic targets – for individual units

Data Monitoring

• Vets have a great opportunity;– To assess data quality– To encourage accurate use – To provide regular feedback and analysis

• Quantitative skills useful!– Assess herd patterns– Can use probability to help decision process

• (Approx level of certainty)

Decision-Making

Strength of Information

Importance of Event

Cost / Effort to Change

Possible outcomes

Why Doesn’t it Always Work??

• Farmer compliance– Resources available

• Financial• ‘Time’

– Attitudes to risk– “Prior” beliefs

• Knowledge gaps e.g.– Lameness– Reproduction– Social and psychological aspects

Dairy Herd Health

• Key issues

RelationshipsSocial aspects

Taking it Further:A National Health Scheme for Mastitis Control in Dairy Cows

• Aim to identify a team of UK veterinary surgeons and advisors to work in a collaborative manner to develop a widespread mastitis control scheme

– Using a plan tested in a national RCT– First 80 people signed up!

Andrew Bradley, James Breen, Chris HudsonAndrew Bradley, James Breen, Chris Hudson

DairyCo Mastitis Control Plan

“Data Patterns ”

Herd Category

Should

10-15 Action Points

COMPLIANCE

STARTED APRIL 2009!

Dairy Cow Health and the Environment?

Important?

report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization…

“ the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation.”

“Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems. Urgent action is required to remedy the situation.”

The Environment would benefit if …

• Unnecessary culling is reduced– reduced cow numbers

required

• “Wasted” milk is minimised– Due to treatments or

production losses

The Environment and Dairy Cow Health

Will this drive change…?

Summary

• Overall the health of our dairy cows could be (much) better– Some herds are good, but average leaves room

for improvement

• We have some of the tools needed to improve cow health– Can we implement what we know?

• Do we have the necessary resources?

– But important, large, (currently unfashionable) areas need addressing

Who is to be the Guardian of Cow Health?

• Farmer?• Vet?• Retailer?• Government?• Consumer?• Interested groups?

Dairy Cow Health (and Welfare):A cause for concernMISSION IMPOSSIBLE?

• Do we need a new model?

Thank you!

School of Veterinary Medicine and Science Dairy Cow Health (and Welfare): A cause for concern?...

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