Audits and Evidence Based Husbandry Flashcards
husbandry?
the practice of breeding and raising animals
what determines good from bad husbandry?
Health, welfare, sustainability, productivity and profitability
AUDIT?
using measure, manage and monitor
what is a failure of management?
disease and poor productivity
process?
a procedure or protocol (e.g. method used to disinfect calf pen)
Key performance indicators (KPIs)?
an important type of performance measure to which we attach a value (growth rate, milk yield etc.)
Target values?
a value attached to a KPI (E.G. calf mortality <5%)
Bench marking?
Comparing the value of a farms KPIs to other external values for the KPI
Gold Standard?
The best current evidence-based method used in a process or value attached to a KPI
KPI examples - Health parameters?
Clinical mastitis cases/year/100 cows (incidence)
Mobility scoring % cows lame (prevalence)
Production paramters? KPI e.g.
Milk yield/cow/lactation
calving to calving interval
KPI example - financial?
Farm profit
Profit/litre of milk
What should audits include?
Farm goals + objectives
Breeding management
Welfare
Biosecurity +disease control
Housing + environment
Nutrition + feeding management
Preventative health care
Production and disease parameters/kpi’s and target values
Records
Stockmanship, protocol and standard operating procedures
What are the 8 Key Topics in dairy herd health?
Fertility + herd reproduction
Mastitis + Milk quality
Lameness
Rumen health (nutritional management of the herd)
Biosecurity and preventative medicine
Heifer rearing
Calf rearing
Other health issues
1/6 reason why farm audits are so important:
Need to understand the current practices (processes) and risk factors
2/6 reason why farm audits are so important:
Need to identify information needs (missing records)
3/6 reason why farm audits are so important:
Identify problems by examining the value of key performance (outcomes) indicators
4/6 reason why farm audits are so important:
Enables a report to be generated indicating the strengths and weaknesses
5/6 reason why farm audits are so important:
Audit can be a farmer education tool
6/6 reason why farm audits are so important:
Improves health welfare productivity and profitability
Purpose of a farm audit?
Investigative
Herd/flock health management plans
Assurance Schemes
Disease accreditation programmes
Assurance schemes, voluntary/involuntary?
Voluntary schemes
How many cattle accreditation schemes are there? - and how many are there for sheep?
5 for cattle and 4 for sheep
best practice/gold standard of calves receiving colostrum?
4 litres in 2 meals within 12 hours of birth
Dairy Calf Colostrum Management: what would the question be?
How much colostrum do you give to dairy calves?
What would the audit consist of when answering the question ‘How much colostrum do you give to dairy calves?
Gold standard: 4L in 2 meals in first 12 hours
Findings: 3x2L in12 hours
Comment: OK
Associated KPI:
Growth rates
Calf mortality
Calf illness
Potential impact on profitability: High
Actual impact: Low
Advise: Continue current practice
Implementation of the farm audit?
Farmer questionnaire
Farm walk (inspection)
Follow up questions w/ farmer
Analysis of records
Written report
Revisit and monitor outcomes
written report, what does it consist of?
strengths and weaknesses
Prioritised, costed, action plans
Herd health programme (calender)
Groups of pigs to consider?
boars, dry sows, sows and piglets, weaners, growers and finishers
Problems with audits?
Processes - do farmers actually do what they say they do
Outcomes - how accurate is the data? missing data, incorrect recording, it is only a snapshot in time - need to repeat periodically
Last word - audits can be transformational, they ensure we understand where we are, where we want to get and what we need to change
Measure?
(Audit)
Current Practices (processes)
Risk factors
Records kept
Key performance indicator values (KPI)
Comparison of current practices with best practice (gold standard)
Compare the current value of KPIs compared to an agreed target value
Manage?
(recommendations - action plans)
What changes need to be made
How are those changes going to be made
What is the cost of making the changes
Prioritise what is to be done
Monitor?
(what has been achieved)
How and when will the outcomes and processes be re-measured
What do assurance schemes establish?
They establish production standards covering:
Food safety
Traceability
Animal welfare
Environmental Protection
Give examples of assurance schemes for beef and lamb?
Red Tractor scheme and the Quality Standard Mark (QSM) scheme
Point of assurance schemes?
Purchase of products may require accreditation with these or other schemes
What are 3 farm objectives?
Welfare standards, Biosecurity protocols and breeding management, housing and environment, records, nutrition, stockmanship, husbandry protocols, preventative healthcare, production figures, disease monitoring control, husbandry protocols
risks to housing? for pigs?
make sure to have location + perimeter fencing
Identify any risk from wildlife
Risk from transport vehicles
what do we need to consider with the water supply?
type and number of access points
what to look out for in pig housing?
extensive pigs - wet conditions
Damaged floor slats
Over crowning
Cold or uncomfortable floor
Ear/tail/flank/vulval/bar biting
Fighting
Sow attacking piglet
Pressure sores - sows too thin
what do we need to consider for weaners? (pigs)
date of entering unit
weight on entry (group)
date of exit from unit
weight on exit (group)
food consumed
cost of food
what do we need to consider for growers? (pigs)
date of entering unit
weight on entry (group)
date of exit from unit
weight on exit (group)
food consumed
cost of food
