Health status of dairy herds converting from conventional to organic dairy farming

Abstract

INTEREST in organic dairy farming has recently increased in both the UK and Europe due primarily to overproduction of food, public concerns about animal welfare and food safety and the environmental impact of many intensive systems of farming. Klenke (1989) compared the performance of organic and conventional dairy herds and reported both lower culling rates and a reduced incidence of lameness in the organic herds. However, maintaining the health status of the dairy herd by using preventive management rather than conventional treatments is a major challenge for dairy farmers converting to organic farming. The United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards (UKROFS 1993) stated that the objective of sustaining animals in good health in an organic farming system should be 'the adoption of effective management practices, including high standards for animal welfare, appropriate diets and good stockmanship rather than relying on the routine use of conventional veterinary treatments'. Currently there is little information in the literature on the effect of these management practices on the health status of organic dairy herds when alternative remedies (for example, homoeopathic) are introduced for the treatment of some ailments in place of conventional medicines (for example, antibiotics).In a two-year on-farm study from 1993 to 1995, animal health records were collected from 11 dairy herds in England and Wales that were either in the process of converting (n=8) or had recently converted (n=3) from conventional to organic dairy farming. The main objectives were to monitor the overall health status of the dairy herds and to identify any specific problems associated with the conversion to organic farming. All health events that occurred and treatments used for specific ailments were recorded by the herdsmen, including visits by the local veterinary surgeon. The data were collected from the farms every three months. The size of the herds ranged from 42 to 303 cows (mean, 106 cows per herd), with all herds fed diets formulated with a high proportion of home-grown forage. With the exception of one herd of Ayrshire cattle, the breed of cows was predominantly Holstein Friesian. The majority of herds had an all-the-year calving pattern with winter housing in either strawbedded cubicles (n=7) or covered yards (n=4).All the farms started using some alternative remedies (for example, homoeopathic, herbal) for the treatment of specific ailments prior to the start of the study. Seven of the farms added a nosode to the drinking water specifically for preventing mastitis. In addition to the use of alternative remedies and antibiotics, four farms used a combination of manually massaging the udder and the frequent application of cold water for treating cases of clinical mastitis. The routine use of long-acting antibiotics during the dry period ceased on the farms prior to the start of the study.On all the farms milk samples were taken monthly from the bulk tank to determine both the total bacterial count (TBC) and the level of somati...

Health of cows, calves and young stock on 26 organic dairy herds in Sweden

“…A low incidence of ketosis has been recorded in other studies of cows in organic production (Vaarst and Enevoldsen 1994, Krutzinna and others 1996, Weller and Cooper 1996, Hardeng 1998). In a Swedish study, the overall proportion of cows with a milk acetone concentration of 0-40 mmol/litre or more ranged between 4-2 and 6-2 per cent in the first lactation, and between 12-7 and 13-6 per cent in the second and later lactations (Gustafsson and others 1995).…”

Is the Modern High Potential Dairy Cow Suitable for Organic Farming Conditions?

“…The reason for this high incidence in Iceland can to a large extent be explained by the low energy concentration of the rations normally fed to dairy cows in Iceland, as shown by a significant correlation between ß-hydroxy-butyrate and energy status (Hardarson 1980). When it comes to comparing the incidence of clinical ketosis in organic herds and conventional herds most studies in Europe report similar (Offerhaus et al 1994, Krutzinna et al 1996 or even lower (Weller & Cooper 1996, Ebbesvik 1993 incidence of clinical ketosis in the organic herds, although herd variation is great (Vaarst 1995). Concentration of ketone bodies in blood has been studied with contradictory results.…”

“…both provoked criticism on the grounds of animal welfare (Andrews 1991) and lead to ambitious research work into the health status and welfare of dairy cattle kept under organic farming conditions (Vaarst 1995, Weller & Cooper 1996, Ebbesvik 1993, Von Weber et al 1993). In the Council Regulation (EC) No 1804/1999 says: "Feed is intended to ensure quality production rather than maximising production, while meeting the nutritional requirements of the livestock at various stages of their development..."…”

Effect of organic farming on selected raw cow milk components and properties

“…This fact indicated a low incidence of ketosis state. Weller and Cooper (1996) mentioned the low total incidence of production disorders of animals in O herds similarly as also Weller and Bowling (2000) later. Haiger and Sölkner (1995), Haiger (2002Haiger ( , 2005Haiger ( and 2006 and Knaus (2008) reported that economically better and ecological was animal rearing on higher total life yield than on short-time extremely high yield.…”