Decision-Making of Swiss Farmers and the Role of the Veterinarian in Reducing Antimicrobial Use on Dairy Farms

Abstract

The reduction of antimicrobials on dairy farms is a topical issue and confronts both veterinarians and farmers with major challenges. The aim of this study was to investigate dairy farmers' motivation to reduce antimicrobial use on their farms. Factors influencing dairy farmers' decision-making regarding dairy cow health were identified and the role of the veterinarian in these processes was characterized. A customized structured questionnaire was sent to all participants (n = 59) of an ongoing antimicrobial reduction project among dairy farmers in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, by mail. Fifty-eight completed questionnaires were returned and evaluated (response rate 98.3%). The majority of respondents were men (56/58, 96.6%) and farm managers (55/57, 96.5%) managing their farms as their main occupation (56/57, 98.2%). Using a 5-point-Likert-scale (1 = not a reason, 5 = very important reason), respondents ranked "My veterinarian is putting pressure on us to use less antimicrobials" (median=2.5, interquartile range = 1-3) and "Other farmers also reduce antimicrobial use" (2.0, 1-3) as the least important factors affecting their motivation to reduce the use of antimicrobials in dairy cows (P < 0.001). Respondents ranked their veterinarian's opinion (4.0, 4-5) and their own feelings and knowledge (4.0, 3-4) as the two factors having significantly more importance on their decisions regarding dairy cow management (P < 0.001). The farmers indicated they were satisfied with the quality of the consultancy given by their veterinarians (4.0, 4-5) and with the quality of communication with veterinarians (4.0, 3-4). They indicated that they understood recommendations made by the veterinarian (4.0, 3.75-4) and also felt understood by the veterinarian (4.0, 3-4). However, only 25.9% (14/54) indicated they were willing to pay for good quality, farm-adapted consulting by their veterinarian. Based on these findings, veterinarians play an important role in influencing Swiss dairy farmers in decision-making concerning animal health and treatment. However, veterinarians were not viewed by farmers as important motivators for reducing antimicrobial use. Swiss veterinarians are encouraged to be aware of their influence on farmers' decisions and to use that influence to more clearly promote antimicrobial reduction on dairy farms.

A Focus Group Study of Canadian Dairy Farmers' Attitudes and Social Referents on Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance

“…Studies from Europe and North America have reported that veterinary advice is the most influential factor for AMU decision by dairy farmers ( 25 , 32 ). However, in this study, many participants reported consulting with the veterinarian only in cases of recurrent, severe, or uncommon disease or after trying different therapeutic options, indicating that the role of the veterinarian in deciding whether to administer antimicrobial treatments to cattle may be infrequent and consequently less influential.…”

“…New technologies such as milking robots and wearable sensors, and digital sources of information such as social media, websites, and mobile apps are influential in farmers' decision-making process. Although the new communications technologies could offer a channel for valid information regarding animal health and AMU, the risk of misinformation on social media and other informal websites is high ( 32 ). Therefore, veterinarians and other advisors need to promote the use of evidence-based information among farmers, including online sources to minimize misinformation risks.…”

Reducing Antimicrobial Use by Implementing Evidence-Based, Management-Related Prevention Strategies in Dairy Cows in Switzerland

“…These treatments lead to the fact that the TI, in its entirety, could then not be reduced, although the implementation level according to the protocol was higher. This possible explanation shows once again the importance of the veterinarian as a farm consultant in monitoring and reviewing udder health, to name but one example ( 65 ). If drugs are used for these treatments without consulting the veterinarian, although this was strictly not advised in the strategies, farmers may lack the know-how about which bacteria should be treated at all and at which point in time the therapy is most successful.…”

“…It is expected that if strategies with lower effect have been chosen, the reduction of AMU also is limited. On the other hand, we know from a previous questionnaire study in the autumn of 2018 that in many cases these farmers did not choose prevention strategies in their problematic area but rather according to their interest in gaining new knowledge ( 65 ). A possible explanation for this phenomenon is that the expected financial benefit is more motivating, or perhaps that they were perturbed by the effort required to solve a problem.…”

Survey on the disposal of waste milk containing antimicrobial residues on Swiss dairy farms

“…Swiss dairy farms are typically smaller than the farms from previous reports on the feeding of WMA to calves, with an average herd size of 22 adult cows in 2018 (Gerber et al, 2020). Moreover, fattening veal calves on site, rather than selling them, is common on Swiss dairy farms (Lava et al, 2016).…”