Farm Assurance And Herd Health Flashcards
What is herd health
> herd health
- vets providing planned animal health and production management services to herds and flocks
- whole herd approach to vet care
- 1* objective Maintainance of animal production at most efficient level providing economic returns to animal owner
Most common disease affecting herd health?
- mastitis
- lameness
- fertility
- dystocia
- milk fever
- staggers
What is recorded on NMR
- milk quality data
- bulk milk SCC
- individual cow SCC
- individual cow milk yield, fat, protein
> once a month, interherd, samples collected uniform way analysed by central labs so can compare between farms
What do milk buyers look at?
- bulk milk SCC, components, bactoscan
- done at different labs using fresh milk so may not be same as NMR data
Most sensitive way of testing BSE
- PME
- slaughterhouse
What must be remembered when looking at data systems and outcomes
If you do not record a disease the incidence will be zero - if you aren’t looking for it specifically
Aim and current average mastitis and lameness numbers?
> mastitis - aim less 30/100/year - current average 40% > lameness - aim less 17/100/year - current average 25%
Give egs. of assured farm standards
- assured dairy farms
- assure British meat
- assured British pigs
- assured chicken production
- assured production
- assured combinable crops scheme
- farm assured Welsh livestock
- Northern Ireland farm quality assurance scheme
- quality meat Scotland
- Genesis quality assurance
> other scheme s - RSPCA freedom food s
- organic farms (soil association etc.)
Outline dairy co mobility scoring
0 OK
1 stiff, preventative foot care needed
2 lame, need Tx, find cause before Tx, as soon as practically possible
3 very lame, urgent attention, nursing, don’t walk far, soft bed, cull
> should not transport lame cows so shouldn’t be slaughtered technically, likely farmers to risk it anyway
What do farm assurance schemes assure?
- quality of product
- safety of product
- standard of husbandry on farm
- animal looked after : welfare
- environmental issues
- ethical payment staff etc
Outline feed and water standards for assurance schemes
- prescribes feed space (60-70cm)
- either have feed plan or regularly BCS
- 0-60 days after calving, 100d before and at dry off
- www.dairyco.org.uk for scoring system
- all cows or proportion of herd
How is animal health and welfare assured
- livestock health plan established and implemented new addition
- records of health and performance (kept, reviewed annually by a vet)
> cf. herd health planning visits q3/4w
Is the livestock health plan a useful document?
“Quite static doorstopper kinda document”
What does this even mean ..?
- must be accessible to ALL staff
- dairy, beef and sheep should be separate (though 50% beef in UK from lame diary cows)
What has to be recorded wrt health and performance?
> min - lameness - mastitis - mortality records - culling records and reasons for cull (excl mortality and TB) - medicine records (farmers rsponsibility not vets) - abattoir feedback > collate data on - lameness - mastitis - culling rate and reason - involuntary culls (exc TB) - calf mortality (0-24hrs d/t neospora, iodine deficiency etc; 1-42d d/t pneumonia, D+) > NOT NECESSARILY ACTED ON (yet)
What occours in the vet visit?
- review records and data
- inspect livestock
- identify key issues and advice to improve on these issues
- review medicine and abx purchase and use
What may be involved in biosecurity and disease control?
- farm biosecurity
- dog worming (toxocara sheep)
- disinfectant
- livestock movements
What is involved in the herd health plan?
- animal medicines and husbandry procedures, drugs, withdrawal times, castrations etc.
- fallen stock storage and disposal
- livestock transport (vehicle, bedding, stocking density, trained person, emergency plan, >8hrs, approved by DEFRA, C&D)
Main reasons for cull
- fertility
- udder health
- lameness (should be higher cull, too many left suffering!)
What are the 3 parts of health plan and review?
A: written, up to date health plan and implementing on farm (static, past)
B: monitor issues occouring on farm (dynamic, current)
C: completion of an annual review (annual herd health and performance review) by vet taking action on issues (strategic, future)
Are herd health planning and farm assurance (herd health plan) the same thing?
No
