Dutch dairy farmers’ perspectives on culling reasons and strategies

Kulkarni, P.S.; Mourits, M.C.M.; Slob, J.; Veldhuis, A.M.B.; Nielen, M.; Hogeveen, H.; Schaik, G. van; Steeneveld, W.

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105997

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…It would request a change in the mindset to focus on the disadvantages, farmers will face if they don't implement what would be appropriate in the case at hand, as opposed to the disadvantages they will face if they do. Instead, farmers often apply rules of thumb, which they seldom change over the years, for instance when considering a culling strategy regarding the most common reasons for culling (Kulkarni et al, 2023).…”

Section: Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why has animal science not led to improved farm animal health and welfare?

Sundrum

2024

Front. Anim. Sci.

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To sustain the economic viability of a livestock farm in a global market, characterised by a price undercutting competition, farmers are forced to adapt to what the market demands. At the same time, they have to care for the functionality of the farm system as a whole and of the subsystems, such as the farm animals, so that they for their part they can contribute to an economic success. Now, that animal health and welfare (AHW) has become an increasingly important issue for citizens and consumers, not only the decision makers but also the disciplines of animal science are challenged to improve an unsatisfying AHW level that has been neglected for long. However, to reduce AHW problems requires a quite different approach than to increase productive efficiency. A common sense can be assumed concerning the need to strive for an optimal cost-to-benefit ratio while balancing positive and negative impacts of production processes on economic and AHW target figures. However, what is often not adequately considered is the fact that economic and biological demands have to be balanced within a living system, e.g. in the individual animal and farm system. These function as the relevant reference systems in all cases where measures to reduce AHW problems are considered. Furthermore, there is a large gap of scientific knowledge, however, not in the traditional sense. While the predominant approaches, scientists generate context-invariant, and thus generalisable disposal knowledge in diversified subdisciplines, problem solving requires contextualisation, orientation and action-guiding knowledge within transdisciplinary approaches. The reason is that AHW problems are highly context-sensitive as well as multifactorial. They develop within the farm specific interconnectedness of manifold and highly varying factors, emerging a complexity that does not allow predictive statements via inductive approaches but requires an iterative procedure to approach to a farm specific AHW level, which is balanced with the overarching goal of economic viability. Recommended action guiding knowledge has to be of high external and ecological validity, before farmers might consider it to be implemented in farm practice. From the reflection about the discrepancy between the knowledge needed to reduce AHW problems and what is offered by animal science, it is concluded that not only the farm systems but also the predominant approaches of animal science have to be transformed. Otherwise, there is not a big chance to considerably reduce AHW problems in farm animals.

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Section: Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why has animal science not led to improved farm animal health and welfare?

Sundrum

2024

Front. Anim. Sci.

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“…Yes, I will decrease the replacement stock (2) No, I don't intend to alter this amount (3) Display this question if Q4.4 = Yes, I will decrease the percentage of culled cows.…”

Section: Q43 Statement 2: "I Intend To Alter My Culling Strategy For ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An improved environmental sustainability of my farm (3) An increased economic result. (Expanding is part of this choice) ( 4)…”

Section: Q43 Statement 2: "I Intend To Alter My Culling Strategy For ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the last part we would like to know more about you and your farm. Yes, I breed my own replacement stock, however I do also purchase replacement animals (2) No, my own bred replacement stock is reared on another location by someone else and will be back on my farm as heifer (3) No, my own bred replacement stock is reared by someone else, and I purchase replacement animals (4) No, I purchase all the replacement stock (5)…”

Section: Basic Informationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…was sensitive to all four economic inputs but was highest for the carcass value and the heifer rearing costs (Table 5. 3). The sensitivity to the carcass value and the heifer rearing costs stems from the fact that the replacement costs (carcass value -rearing costs) were dependent on these two inputs.…”

Section: Sensitivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dairy cattle replacement under changing agri-environmental policies

Kulkarni

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Culling and replacement of dairy cowsCulling and replacement of dairy cows is a routine but important aspect of dairy farm management. Culling is defined by removal of a cow from the herd for slaughter, salvage, disposal (due to death) or for dairy sale with intent to continue production (Fetrow et al., 2006).In theory, culled cows are replaced by younger, suitable heifers. In the Netherlands, the average annual replacement rate has been varying between 20% and 30% in the first two decades of the 21 st century (CRV, 2019;Nor et al., 2014a). This means that dairy cattle longevity in the Netherlands of 5.8 years is far below the biological potential lifespan (Han et al., 2022). These replacements can be either due to economic reasons (voluntary) or due to health considerations, hence involuntary . Fetrow et al. (2006) defined two types of culling namely, economic, and forced or biological. A large part of the replacements is due to economic reasons with the intent of improving production, reproduction, and the health of the producing herd. On the other hand, and in minority, biological or forced culling occurs when cows are incurable, permanently unable to produce, reproduce or recover or when cows die suddenly or are euthanized. Since most replacements of dairy cows are

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