‘DEMO project udder health’: a first step towards a better udder health and milk quality in Flanders (Belgium)

Piepers, Sofie; Lommelen, K.; Meulemeester, Jean-Luc De; Vliegher, Sarne De

doi:10.3920/978-90-8686-742-4_7

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Nevertheless, as in other studies where it was not possible to create a representative control group (e.g., Rasmussen et al, 2002), there are reasons to believe that the estimates obtained from the surveys reflect an effect of the UGCN program. Although not much data are available to compare results, trends in other countries where no programs were started (yet) did not show an improvement in udder health (Piepers et al, 2011), whereas countries that did, showed a favorable effect, either at the level of participating herds (Green et al, 2007) or at the country level for national programs (Østerås and Sølverød, 2009). Also, the mindset of farmers toward udder health changed over the course of the program and over 3,000 farmers participated in study groups on the subject.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Improving bovine udder health: A national mastitis control program in the Netherlands

Lam

Borne

Jansén

et al. 2013

Journal of Dairy Science

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Because of increasing bulk milk somatic cell counts and continuous clinical mastitis problems in a substantial number of herds, a national mastitis control program was started in 2005 to improve udder health in the Netherlands. The program started with founding the Dutch Udder Health Centre (UGCN), which had the task to coordinate the program. The program consisted of 2 parts: a research part and a knowledge-transfer part, which were integrated as much as possible. The knowledge-transfer part comprised 2 communication strategies: a central and a peripheral approach. The central approach was based on educating farmers using comprehensive science-based and rational argumentation about mastitis prevention and included on-farm study group meetings. Comprehensive education materials were developed for farmers that were internally motivated to improve udder health. In the peripheral approach it was tried to motivate farmers to implement certain management measures using nontechnical arguments. Mass media campaigns were used that focused on one single aspect of mastitis prevention. These communication strategies, as well as an integrated approach between various stakeholders and different scientific disciplines were used to reach as many farmers as possible. It should be noted that, because this intervention took place at a national level, no control group was available, as it would be impossible to isolate farmers from all forms of communication for 5 years. Based on several studies executed during and after the program, however, the results suggest that udder health seemed to have improved on a national level during the course of the program from 2005 to 2010. Within a cohort of dairy herds monitored during the program, the prevalence of subclinical mastitis did not change significantly (23.0 in 2004 vs. 22.2 in 2009). The incidence rate of clinical mastitis, however, decreased significantly, from 33.5 to 28.1 quarter cases per 100 cow years at risk. The most important elements of the farmers' mindset toward mastitis control also changed favorably. The simulated costs of mastitis per farm were reduced compared with a situation in which the mastitis would not have changed, with € 400 per year. When this amount is extrapolated to all Dutch farms, the sector as a whole reduced the total costs of mastitis by € 8 million per year. It is difficult to assign the improved udder health completely to the efforts of the program due to the lack of a control group. Nevertheless, investing € 8 million by the Dutch dairy industry in a 5-yr national mastitis control program likely improved udder health and seemed to pay for itself financially.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Improving bovine udder health: A national mastitis control program in the Netherlands

Lam

Borne

Jansén

et al. 2013

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Along the way, farmers can compare their own farm performance, share experiences, and learn from examples (Campbell et al, 2006;Scottish Monitor Farms Programme, 2014). Similarly, "demonstration projects" can be used to assess the outcomes of corresponding methods or processes applied to several farms (Piepers et al, 2011;Erskine et al, 2015) Numerous variations of these 3 approaches exist, but they are generally underpinned by participatory learning or participatory action research.…”

Section: Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invited review: Determinants of farmers' adoption of management-based strategies for infectious disease prevention and control

Ritter

Jansén²,

Roche

et al. 2017

Journal of Dairy Science

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The prevention and control of endemic pathogens within and between farms often depends on the adoption of best management practices. However, farmers regularly do not adopt recommended measures or do not enroll in voluntary disease control programs. This indicates that a more comprehensive understanding of the influences and extension tools that affect farmers' management decisions is necessary. Based on a review of relevant published literature, we developed recommendations to support policy-makers, industry representatives, researchers, veterinarians, and other stakeholders when motivating farmers to adopt best management practices, and to facilitate the development and implementation of voluntary prevention and control programs for livestock diseases. Farmers will make management decisions based on their unique circumstances, agricultural contexts, beliefs, and goals. Providing them with rational but universal arguments might not always be sufficient to motivate on-farm change. Implementation of recommended management practices is more likely if farmers acknowledge the existence of a problem and their responsibility to take action. The perceived feasibility and effectiveness of the recommended management strategy and sufficient technical knowledge further increase the likelihood of adequate adoption. Farmers will also weigh the expected advantages of a proposed change against the expected disadvantages, and these considerations often include internal drivers such as pride or the desire to conform with perceived standards. Extension tools and farmers' social referents (e.g., veterinarians, peers) not only provide technical information but also influence these standards. Whereas mass media have the potential to deliver information to a broad audience, more personal approaches such as participatory group learning or individual communication with farm advisors can enable the tailoring of recommendations to farmers' situations. Approaches that appeal to farmers' internal motivators or that unconsciously elicit the desired behavior will increase the success of the intervention. Collaboration among stakeholders, assisted by social scientists and communication specialists, is necessary to provide a context that facilitates on-farm change and transfers consistent messages across extension tools in the most effective way.

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‘DEMO project udder health’: a first step towards a better udder health and milk quality in Flanders (Belgium)

Cited by 2 publications

References 5 publications

Improving bovine udder health: A national mastitis control program in the Netherlands

Improving bovine udder health: A national mastitis control program in the Netherlands

Invited review: Determinants of farmers' adoption of management-based strategies for infectious disease prevention and control

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