| 1. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Animal welfare efforts and farm economic outcomes: Evidence from Swedish beef production
- 2023
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Ingår i: Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. - 1068-2805. ; 52, s. 498-519
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We estimate the relationship between farm animal welfare (FAW) efforts taken by beef farmers and the economic performance of beef farms by using farm accounting data from the Swedish Farm Economic Survey matched with survey data on farm management practices. To this end, we perform a two-step analysis. First, an item response theory (IRT) model estimates the latent FAW effort on farms. FAW effort likely depends on a host of complementary FAW-improving strategies, and the IRT model combines the considered strategies into a unidimensional scale. We take this to represent on-farm FAW effort. Second, we use instrumental variable regressions to estimate the relationship between FAW effort and multiple measures of farm economic performance. We find that higher FAW effort scores have no effect on margins and costs. However, higher FAW effort scores are associated with lower farm sales. Findings suggest that policies (such as targeted label for high FAW) that increase farm revenue as well as incentivize the uptake of FAW-improvement practices may be able to compensate farmers for their FAW effort.
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| 2. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing Animal Welfare and Farm Profitability in Cow-Calf Operations with Stochastic Partial Budgeting
- 2021
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Ingår i: Animals. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-2615. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simple SummaryThe increased consumer demand for high levels of farm animal welfare (FAW) have prompted debates about the costs of achieving higher FAW. Yet, little is known about the economic consequences of improvements in FAW, especially in cow-calf operations. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the relationship between farm profitability and improved FAW measure in terms of increased space allowance in Swedish cow-calf operations. We found that a 0.5 m(2) increase in space allowance per calf (achieved by a corresponding reduction of herd size) was associated with a 6.9 to 18.7% reduction in farm-level contribution margins in the short term. Our results suggest that FAW improvements can be costly for farms and these costs should be considered while taking policy decisions regarding improvements in FAW standards.The societal demand for good farm animal welfare (FAW) has increased over time. Yet, very little is known about the economic consequences of improvements in FAW in cow-calf operations. This study investigates on-farm economic consequences of improved FAW measures in cow-calf operations. It uses a stochastic partial budgeting approach to examine the relationship between contribution margins and improvements in FAW in terms of increased space allowance for a typical Swedish cow-calf operation, as compared to current practices. In the current practice, a cow should be given at least 5 m(2) and the calf 2.2 m(2). We found that a 0.5 m(2) increase in space allowance per calf (achieved by a corresponding reduction of herd size) was associated with a 6.9 to 18.7% reduction in contribution margins in the short term. Our analysis does not include possible indirect gains like decrease in disease incidence and enhanced non-use or 'soft' values associated with increased FAW. However, our analysis indicates that high FAW standards can be costly and careful cost-benefit analysis should be a part of decision-making processes regarding FAW standards. Our results also suggest a need for government support payments and/or the development of market mechanisms to stimulate farmers to continue producing livestock-based foods with high FAW.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing economic consequences of improved animal welfare in Swedish cattle fattening operations using a stochastic partial budgeting approach
- 2020
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Ingår i: Livestock Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 1871-1413 .- 1878-0490. ; 232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is an increased concern among many stakeholders in society that livestock production systems provide a low-quality life to the animals and therefore advocate improved farm animal welfare (FAW). On the other hand, producers are concerned that stricter welfare regulations would decrease their profits and hence their competitiveness. Given the relevance of the debate surrounding FAW especially in Sweden, and the lack of studies related to the beef sector, this study examined the impact of changes in FAW practices on economic performance of Swedish beef fattening operations. We modelled a herd of 50 cattle of either beef or dairy breed reared for meat production to examine the impact of increased space allowance, including a corresponding decrease in herd size, and increased forage-to-concentrate (FC) ratio. We found that a 1-m(2)/animal increase in space allowance was associated with a decrease of 18.9 and 10.8% in short-run, per animal profits in beef and dairy breeds, respectively. Sensitivity analysis suggested that an increase in weight gain and short-run loss in herd size due to increased space allowance were the most important factors. We estimated that an increase in the FC ratio from 40:60 to 65:35 was associated with a reduction in per animal profits of about 21 to 34% in beef breeds and 17 to 53% in dairy breeds, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicated that reduced growth due to increased FC ratio was the most important factor. Our results suggest that an increase in space allowance or FC ratio in Swedish beef fattening operations may reduce farm profitability. They also imply that consequences of any policy instrument should be carefully examined to reach the goal of improved FAW along with improved profitability and sustainability for the farmer.
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| 5. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Costs and benefits of good animal welfare - for animals, farmers and society
- 2022
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Society’s demand for good animal welfare has led to discussions about the costs of achieving and maintaining one. This is relevant to Swedish animalbased food production, because producers in Sweden in many respects have stricter requirements than farmers in other countries. They therefore face competition from imported foods produced under less strict animal welfare regulations. At the same time, good animal welfare can have a value in itself and can provide benefits for animals, farmers and society.
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| 6. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Kostnader och vinster med gott djurskydd : för djur, lantbrukare och samhälle
- 2022
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Annan publikation (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Samhällets krav på god djurvälfärd har lett till diskussioner om kostnaderna för att uppnå och upprätthålla en sådan. Detta är relevant för svensk djurbaserad livsmedelsproduktion, eftersom producenter i Sverige i många avseenden har hårdare krav än i andra länder. De möter därför konkurrens från importerade livsmedel som producerats med mindre strikta djurskyddsbestämmelser. Samtidigt kan gott djurskydd ha ett värde i sig och ge fördelar för djur, lantbrukare och samhälle.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Temperature, productivity, and heat tolerance: Evidence from Swedish dairy production
- 2022
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Ingår i: Climatic Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0165-0009 .- 1573-1480. ; 175
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study aims to identify the effects of temperature on dairy production and the heat tolerance of different dairy breeds under heat stress. Using farm and animal-level data from 1435 dairy farms throughout Sweden for 4 years (from 2016 to 2019), we find that a 7-day average of daily maximum temperatures above similar to 20 degrees C is associated with sharp declines in milk production. We then estimate the farm-level loss in contribution margin for a typical Swedish dairy farm for the year 2018, which consisted of long-lasting heatwaves and extended summer temperatures. We also estimate that, on average, there are no differences in the impact of heatwaves on milk losses for different dairy breeds but that there exists a trade-off between genetic milk production potential and heat tolerance of a dairy cow. The magnitude of this productivity-tolerance trade-off may differ across breeds, suggesting that the high-production potential animals of certain breeds may be less sensitive to heat stress. These findings have important implications in terms of adapting to heat stress, investing in mitigation measures, and development of future breeds that can ameliorate the current trade-off between production capacity of a cow and its heat tolerance.
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| 9. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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A field survey on parasites and antibodies against selected pathogens in owned dogs in Lilongwe, Malawi
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of the South African Veterinary Association / Tydkrif van die Suid-Afrikaanse Veterinere. - : Medpharm Publications. - 1019-9128. ; 87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to screen for selected parasites and antibody levels against vector-borne pathogens in owned dogs in Lilongwe, Malawi. The study population consisted of 100 dogs; 80 participating in vaccination-spaying campaigns and 20 visiting a veterinary clinic as paying clients. All dogs went through a general physical examination including visual examination for signs of ectoparasites. A total of 100 blood samples were analysed using commercial snap tests and 40 faecal samples by egg flotation in saturated sodium chloride. The sampled dogs had a seroprevalence of 12% for Anaplasma spp., 22% for Ehrlichia spp., 4% for Dirofilaria immitis and 1% for Leishmania spp. Eggs from Ancylostoma spp. were found in 80% of the faecal samples, whereas eggs of Trichuris vulpis, Toxocara canis and Toxascaris leonina were only present in 3%, 8% and 13% of the samples, respectively. Ectoparasites such as Ctenocephalides sp., Trichodectes sp. and ticks were present on 98%, 25% and 11%, respectively, of the campaign dogs. Among client dogs, 35% had Ctenocephalides fleas, 10% had Trichodectes lice and none had ticks. Public education and prophylactic treatment could be used to improve the animal welfare of dogs; this would most likely also have positive impact on public health.
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| 10. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Accuracy of the “index finger test” to determine type of death of dairy cows at destruction plants
- 2012
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Dead cows are routinely brought to destruction plants and monitoring the influx may be useful for early detection of emerging (infectious) diseases. A prerequisite is that it can be determined if the cow was euthanized or died unassisted, because a sudden increase in the latter may be indicative of an outbreak. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of visual inspection at the destruction plant as a means to distinguish between the two types of deaths. The two main destruction plants in Sweden were visited 3 times, 3 days each, in spring, summer and autumn during 2011. The identity, and whether the cow was shot in the forehead or not, was recorded for all dairy cows entering the destruction plants during these days. We phoned the owner of the cow within 3 weeks after the cow was examined and asked whether the cow died unassisted or was euthanized. A total of 468 cows examined, also had information from the farmers. The comparison demonstrated that there were discrepancies between the observations. According to the farmers (gold standard) the proportion of cows that died unassisted was 30%, while the visual inspection (test) found that the proportion was 40%. Three cows were euthanized by an overdose of an anesthetic, which explained some of the discrepancy. The sensitivity and the specificity of the visual examination were 93% and 83%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 70% and the negative predicted value was 97%. This study showed that visual inspection of dairy cows at destruction plants overestimate the proportion of cows that died unassisted. The accuracy of the method is however judged to be sufficient to monitor the proportion of unassisted death.
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| 11. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Animal Welfare and Economic Aspects of Using Nurse Sows in Swedish Pig Production
- 2017
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Veterinary Science. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 2297-1769. ; 4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The number of born piglets per litter has increased in Swedish pig industry, and farmers are struggling to improve piglet survival. A common practice is to make litters more equally sized by moving piglets from large litters to smaller to make sure that all piglets get an own teat to suckle. Litter equalization is not always enough, as many sows have large litters and/or damaged teats, which results in an insufficient number of available teats. One way to solve this problem is to use nurse sows. A nurse sow raises, and weans, her own piglets before receiving a foster litter. The objectives of this study were to address how the use of nurse sows affects the welfare of sows and piglets and to explore how it impacts the contribution margin of pig production in Sweden. A literature search was made to investigate welfare aspects on sows and piglets. As there were few published studies on nurse sows, an expert group meeting was organized. In order to explore the impact on the contribution margin of pig production, a partial budgeting approach with stochastic elements was used for a fictive pig farm. Standard templates for calculating costs and benefits were supplemented with figures from existing literature and the gathered expert opinions. In Sweden, the minimum suckling period is 28 days while published studies involving nurse sows, all from outside of Sweden, weaned the piglets at 21 days. A Swedish nurse sow will thus get longer lactation period which might increase the risk of poor body condition, damaged teats, and shoulder ulcers. This indicates a reduced welfare of the sow and may lead to impaired fertility and increased culling risk. On the other hand, the piglet mortality could be reduced with the use of nurse sows, but the separation and mixing of piglets could be stressful. The partial budgeting suggested that the nurse sow system is slightly more profitable (+6,838 Swedish krona) per farrowing group during one dry and one lactation period compared to the conventional system. The result is, however, highly dependent on the input values, and welfare aspects were not considered in the calculations.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of unhealthy cows and actions taken by dairy farmers - differences between high and low mortality herds
- 2015
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: On-farm mortality (euthanasia or unassisted death) could in many cases be prevented with better management, especially during the transition period and in early lactation, but also if unhealthy cows were identified at an early stage of disease. The objectives of this study were to evaluate potential differences in how dairy farmers in high mortality (HM) or low mortality (LM) herds: 1) ranked the importance of disease symptoms when detecting unhealthy cows; and 2) acted when unhealthy cows had been detected. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to HM and LM herds with >35 cows. HM herds had mortality rates (deaths/100 cowyears) in the highest quartile (>7.7) and LM herds in the lowest quartile (<2.7). The questions: “How do you detect unhealthy cows?” and “What is the first thing you do when you have detected an unhealthy cow?” were followed by statements such as “alterations in milk” and “contact the vet” etc. The answers were recorded on a VAS-scale. Wilcoxon ranksum tests were used to evaluate if differences between HM and LM herds were statistically significant (P<0.05). Results: There were no significant differences in how farmers with HM (n=60) or LM (n=85) herds detected or acted when they recognized unhealthy cows. In both groups, the most important factors to detect unhealthy cows were inappetence, poor general condition, fever, changed milk, swollen udder, refused milking, increased lying behaviour, diarrhoea, vaginal discharge and nasal discharge. The most common actions taken by the farmers when noticed unhealthy cows was to measure the cow’s temperature, call the vet, move to an isolation pen, add to a surveillance list and start an own treatment. It was unlikely that the farmers would just wait. Conclusion: There was no difference in how farmers in HM and LM herds stated that they detected or how they acted when they noticed unhealthy cows. Still, the HM and LM farmers’ ability to detect unhealthy cows may differ. Relevance: High onfarm cow mortality may indicate suboptimal herd health or welfare and causes financial losses. There is a need to identify herd characteristics and management routines associated with HM and LM herds so that advice for reducing mortality can be given.
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| 15. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of grazing management on on-farm mortality in Swedish dairy herds
- 2014
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- On-farm mortality (death and euthanasia) in dairy cows is a welfare concern which also causes economic losses for the farmer. This study investigated the association between grazing management and on-farm mortality. The results show the importance of summer grazing since low on-farm mortality was associated with access to production pasture for most of the day.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Farm characteristics and management routines related to cow longevity: a survey among Swedish dairy farmers
- 2018
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Ingår i: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-605X .- 1751-0147. ; 60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Longevity is an important trait for increasing the profitability of dairy production. Long cow longevity is also essential to reduce the environmental impact of milk production, and to maintain positive consumer attitude. Genetic selection for increased longevity has been effective, but the phenotypic trend of longevity in Swedish dairy cows has not been improved. The objective of this study was to identify herd characteristics and management routines that are associated with the average cow longevity in a herd. To obtain this information, a questionnaire was developed and sent out to 661 Swedish dairy farmers.Results: The response rate was 35%. Seventeen of the 62 characteristics investigated had either a univariable association with the outcome (days from birth to culling) at P < 0.15, or were identified as confounders in the causal diagram and were therefore considered as candidates for the multivariable analysis. Multiple imputation was used to fill in the missing data from the questionnaires, and this increased the number of usable observations in the multivariable modeling from 156 to 228. Only a few of the investigated herd characteristics and management routines were associated with average cow longevity. The results demonstrated that using herd health advisory services shortened the average longevity, while using breeding advisory services prolonged the average longevity in the herd. Furthermore, having a greater interest in animal breeding (i.e. genetic selection) decreased the longevity, and calling the veterinarian when discovering an unhealthy cow increased the average longevity. Higher age of the farmer was also associated with longer average herd longevity.Conclusions: The herd average cow longevity was only associated with some of the farm characteristics and management routines studied. The results demonstrate that the use of advisory services and farmers' attitudes could be targeted for increasing the herd longevity. Further, the results indicate that other e.g. qualitative factors influencing farmers' decisions play an important role.
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| 19. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Farm characteristics related to on-farm cow mortality in dairy herds: a questionnaire study
- 2014
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Ingår i: Animal. - 1751-7311 .- 1751-732X. ; 8, s. 1735-1742
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dairy cow mortality is an important animal welfare issue that also causes financial losses. The objective of this study was to identify farm characteristics and herd management practices associated with high on-farm cow mortality in Swedish dairy herds. A postal questionnaire was sent to farmers that had either high or low mortality rates for 3 consecutive years. The questionnaire consisted of five sections: 'About the farm', 'Milking and housing', 'Feeding', 'Routines' and 'Lame and sick cows'. A total of 145 questionnaires were returned (response rate = 33%). Ten of the 77 characteristics investigated met the inclusion criteria for multivariable analysis. The final logistic regression model included: herd size, breed, use of natural service bull, bedding improvement frequency and pasture system. Herds with Swedish Holstein as the predominant breed (odds ratio (OR) 22.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2 to 101.8) or with mixed breeds (OR 5.5, 95% CI 1.7 to 17.5) had a greater risk of being high mortality herds than herds that were predominantly Swedish Red (OR 1). Herds larger than 100 cows (OR 19.6, 95% CI 3.5 to 110.4) and herds with 50 to 99 cows (OR 13.8, 95% CI 3.2 to 60.6) had greater risk of mortality than herds numbering 35 to 50 cows (OR 1). Being a high mortality herd was also associated with having cows on exercise lots during the summer season (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 9.9) compared with on pasture. A missing answer on the question of bedding improvement frequency was associated with high mortality herds. Overall, this study suggests that characteristics that are related to intensification of the dairy industry are also associated with high on-farm mortality of dairy cows.
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| 20. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Herd-level risk factors associated with cow mortality in Swedish dairy herds
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Dairy Science. - : American Dairy Science Association. - 0022-0302 .- 1525-3198. ; 95, s. 4352-4362
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An increase in on-farm mortality (euthanasia and death) in dairy herds has been reported in several countries in the last decade. This does not only imply possible problems with animal welfare, but it also causes economic losses to the farmer. The objective of this study was to evaluate time trends in on-farm dairy cow mortality in Sweden and identify potential herd-level risk factors. Data were retrieved on all Swedish dairy herds enrolled in the milk recording scheme between 2002 and 2010. Herds with a herd size of <20 cows or a mortality rate (MR) of >40 dead or euthanized cows per 100 cow-years were excluded. Two different models were used: 1 multiple-year analysis, which included 6,898 herds during the period 2002 to 2010 and 1 single-year analysis including 4,252 herds for the year 2010, where other variables that were not present during the entire multiple year study were analyzed. The outcome variable was the number of euthanized and dead cows per year and season. A negative binomial regression model, adjusted for clustering within herd, was applied to both models. Fixed effects in the multiple-year analysis were breed, calving interval, herd size, milk yield, region, season, pasture period, and year. The fixed effects in the single-year analysis were breed, calving interval, conventional versus organic farming, herd size, housing system, milk yield, region, and season. The results demonstrated that MR gradually increased from 5.1 to 6.6 events per 100 cow-years during the study period. Swedish MR are consequently on par with, or even greater than, MR among dairy herds in other comparable countries. Higher mortality was associated with larger herd size, longer calving intervals, and herds that had Swedish Holstein as the predominant breed. Lower mortality was observed in herds with a higher herd average milk yield, during the fall and winter, and in organically managed herds. There were regional differences in mortality. An interaction between herd size and season was found in both models. Also, an interaction between housing system and milk yield was found in the single-year analysis. This first assessment of on-farm mortality in Swedish dairy herds confirmed that the MR has increased over the last few years. The study also identified some herd-level risk factors.
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| 21. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Herd-level risk factors for cow and calf on-farm mortality in Estonian dairy herds
- 2020
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Ingår i: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-605X .- 1751-0147. ; 62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundOn-farm mortality (unassisted death and euthanasia) is the unwanted loss of animals, and it comes with negative economic consequences. On-farm mortality rates reflect a herd's animal welfare status. The objective of this historical longitudinal single cohort study was to identify the associations between herd characteristics, animal housing conditions and management routines and within-herd calf and cow mortality rates in participating Estonian dairy herds. All farmers enrolled in the voluntary production recording system with a herd size of 20 or greater cow-years in 2015-2017 were contacted by mail or telephone between October 2017 and March 2018. The survey included questions about management routines and housing conditions of calves up to 3 months of age and of cows. In total, 214 completed questionnaires were returned, corresponding to a 63.3% response rate. The within-herd mortality rate of calves (aged 21-90 days) and cows (cattle over 24 months of age) in years 2017-2018 were calculated and used as outcome variables. Negative binomial and linear regression models were applied for risk factor analysis in calf and cow datasets, respectively.ResultsThe median within-herd mortality rate for calves aged 21 to 90 days was 0.15 per 100 calf-months (quartiles 0.00; 0.36). The median within-herd mortality rate for cattle over 24 months of age was 4.57 per 100 cow-years (quartiles 2.44; 6.86). Factors significantly associated with increased mortality of calves were larger herd size, higher proportion of stillbirths and abortions in a herd, prophylactic administration of vitamins to all calves and housing pre-weaned calves in single pens only compared with housing in both single and group pens. Also, farmers who attended more frequent trainings had higher calf mortality rates. Calving in a group pen or in a tie-stall compared with calving in multiple systems was associated with higher calf mortality rates. Higher cow mortality rates were present in herds that had a higher proportion of stillbirths and on farms where employees handled cows. Housing cows in free-stall barns, grazing cows and more frequent hoof trimming were protective for cow on-farm mortality.ConclusionsThis study identified the importance of housing conditions for on-farm cow and calf mortality rates. Our study results suggest that providing good care might ensure better health and welfare of dairy cows and calves.
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| 22. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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On-farm mortality of cows in Swedish dairy herds
- 2011
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Ingår i: Annual meeting of the European Association for Animal Production. - 1382-6077. ; 17, s. 364-364
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 23. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Risk factors associated with on-farm mortality in Swedish dairy cows
- 2014
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Ingår i: Preventive Veterinary Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5877 .- 1873-1716. ; 117, s. 110-120
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dairy cow mortality (unassisted death and euthanasia) has increased, worldwide and in Sweden. On-farm mortality indicates suboptimal herd health or welfare and causes financial loss for the dairy producer. The objective of this study was to identify cow-level risk factors associated with on-farm cow mortality. Cows with at least one calving between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2009 from herds enrolled in the Swedish official milk recording scheme with >40 cow-years were included. Each cow was followed from the day of calving until she calved again or left the herd (died, slaughtered or sold). The effects of potential risk factors on on-farm cow mortality were analysed using a Weibull proportional hazard model with a gamma distributed frailty effect common to cows within herd. The event of interest (failure) was euthanasia or unassisted death. An observation was right censored if the cow was slaughtered, sold, calved again or had an on-going lactation at 500 days after calving. The lactations were split into seasons (January to April, May to August and September to December) and at 30 and 100 days in milk in order to evaluate seasonal effects and the effect of disease in different lactation stages. Primiparous and multiparous cows were analysed separately. The highest hazards for both primiparous and multiparous cows were found for traumatic events and diseases, both in the lactation stage in which the cow died and in the preceding stage. The hazard was higher in early lactation and lower in 2nd parity compared to higher parities. Increased age at first calving (for primiparous cows), calving between January and April, dystocia and stillbirth also increased the mortality hazard. Differences were also found between breeds, between milk production parameters at first test milking and between management types. The results from this study show the importance of good management and preventive health actions, especially around calving, to avoid mortality in dairy cows. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 24. |
- Alvåsen, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Risk factors for unassisted on-farm death in Swedish dairy cows
- 2014
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Ingår i: Animal Welfare. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 0962-7286 .- 2054-1538. ; 23, s. 63-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increased on-farm cow mortality (ie unassisted death and euthanasia) has been demonstrated in Swedish dairy herds during the last decade. Identifying risk factors associated with type of death is needed for future work in reducing cow mortality rates. The objectives of this case-control study were to quantify the relative proportion of unassisted dead cows among cows that die on-farm, and to identify risk factors associated with unassisted death (as opposed to euthanasia). In Sweden, cadavers and animal waste products are being processed into biofuel at destruction plants. Two destruction plants were visited three times in 2011-2012. All dairy cows (n = 556) entering the plants were examined. Farmers that had sent the cows were contacted by telephone to verify type of death. Of the 433 dairy cows included in the analysis, 30% had died unassisted. A stillbirth rate above or equal to the median in the study material (7%) increased the risk for unassisted death. The proportion of unassisted dead cows was lower than that found in other countries. The results indicate that it might be possible to study euthanasia and unassisted death as one group in Swedish dairy cows, because only one factor differentiating between the two types of death was identified. However, unidentified risk factors may still differ and, possibly more importantly, welfare implications may also differ between the two types of death which implies the need to separate them in future studies.
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| 25. |
- Andersson, Linda, et al.
(författare)
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Exploration of body weight in 115 000 young adult dogs of 72 breeds
- 2023
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High body weight (BW), due to large size or excess body fat, has been associated with developmental and metabolic alterations, and degenerative diseases in dogs. Study objectives were to determine mean BW in young adult dogs of different breeds, including changes over a 10-year period. Body weight data from the official Swedish hip dysplasia screening program were used, including data from dogs screened at 1-2.5 years of age, in breeds with >= 15 individual observations/year during 2007-2016. Mean BW per breed and sex was established from 114 568 dogs representing 72 breeds. Estimates of breed BW showed significant change in 33 (45%) breeds over the 10-year period. Body weight increased in five breeds (2-14% change) and decreased in 26 breeds (1-8% change). In two breeds, BW increased in male and decreased in female dogs. This observational study provides extensive breed BW data on young adult dogs. The change in breed BW, noted in almost half of the breeds, could be due to changes either in size or in body fat mass. In certain breeds, the change in BW over time might have an impact on overall health. Studies with simultaneous evaluation of BW and body condition over time are warranted.
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| 26. |
- Andrée O´ Hara, Elisabeth, et al.
(författare)
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An observational study of the dry period length and its relation to milk yield, health, and fertility in two dairy cow breeds
- 2020
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Ingår i: Preventive Veterinary Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5877 .- 1873-1716. ; 175
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study evaluated associations between dry period length (DPL) in dairy cows and energy-corrected milk (ECM) production, health, and fertility, using a dataset involving 78 577 lactations in cows of two breeds, Swedish Red (SR) and Swedish Holstein (SH). Herds with at least 20 cows and at least 20 % purebred SR and at least 20 % SH during the year 2015/2016 were included in the dataset. Cows were divided into parity groups 2 and 3 or older and DPL was classified into six 10-day groups (30-39 to 80-89 d). Associations between DPL and the outcome variables were assessed with linear and generalized linear mixed models. Production of ECM at the first three test milkings and the 305-d lactation was highest in the 50-59 d and 60-69 d DPL groups, and lowest in the 30-39 d and 80-89 d groups (p<0.001). Mastitis and somatic cell count (SCC) did not differ between DPL groups, except at the third test milking, where cows in the 40-49, 50-59, and 60-69 DPL groups had lower SCC (p<0.001) than cows in the 70-79 and 80-89 d groups. The odds ratio (OR) for retained placenta was 1.9 for cows with 30-39 d DPL relative to cows with 60-69 d DPL. Cows in DPL groups 40-49 d and 50-59 ha d the lowest odds of culling (OR=0.89 and 0.92). The OR for culling in cows with DPL 70-79 d and 80-89 was 1.2 and 1.4, respectively, relative to cows with 60-69 d DPL. The conception rate at first insemination did not among between DPL groups. The SR cows produced less ECM than the SH cows, but had lower SCC and lower OR for mastitis, retained placenta, puerperal paresis, and culling within 90 DIM. Although DPL <40 days or >80 days reduced milk production in early lactation and the 305-d lactation, the estimated additional milk production in the preceding lactation in cows with short DPL compensated for this reduction. A DPL of 40 days did not affect health and fertility in comparison with a conventional 60 d DPL, while a DPL of >70 d was unfavorable due to low milk production, increased risk of culling, and decreased fertility. The response to DPL was not affected by breed or parity.
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| 27. |
- Andrée O´ Hara, Elisabeth, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of dry period length on metabolic status, fertility, udder health, and colostrum production in 2 cow breeds
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Dairy Science. - : American Dairy Science Association. - 0022-0302 .- 1525-3198. ; 102, s. 595-606
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shortening the dry period improves postpartum energy balance, which has potential positive effects on metabolic health. This concept has been mainly studied in Holstein cows. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a short dry period of 4 wk, compared with a standard dry period of 8 wk, on the metabolic status, progesterone profiles, health, and colostrum quality of dairy cows of 2 breeds, Swedish Red (SR) and Swedish Holstein (SH), not treated with antibiotics at dry off. The IgG uptake in calves was also studied to reflect the colostrum quality when shortening the dry period. Cows of both SH and SR were blocked by breed and parity and then randomly allocated to a short dry period of 4 wk (4W, n = 43) or a conventional dry period of 8 wk (8W, n = 34). Blood samples were collected wk 8, 4, 2, 1 and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, and 12 relative to calving. Prepartum, cows with a 4-wk dry period had higher concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids and lower concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-1. and insulin than 8W cows. Postpartum, plasma concentration of nonesterified fatty acids was lower, whereas plasma insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 tended to be higher for 4W cows than for 8W cows. Plasma concentration of beta-hydroxybutyrate did not differ between dry period lengths. Swedish Holstein cows with a 4W dry period responded with a lower concentration of insulin prepartum than SR and SH on an 8W dry period. The dry period length had no effect on the proportion of disturbed progesterone profiles; disturbed progesterone profiles occurred in 30% of the 4W cows and 47% of the 8W cows. In this trial, only 48.8% of the SR cows had a normal progesterone profile, which differed from the SH where 76.5% had a normal profile. Fertility-related diseases (endometritis, pyometra, anestrus, ovarian cyst) did not differ between the 2 dry period groups: 21% in the 8W group versus 12% in the 4W group, whereas mastitis tended to be more common: 26% of the 4W cows versus 9% of the 8W cows. A short dry period resulted in less colostrum but with a higher content of protein and somatic cell count. Calves were fed colostrum from their dam, and the IgG and total protein in plasma did not differ between calves to mothers with different a dry period length. Shortening the dry period could improve metabolic status in cows of both SH and SR breed postpartum, without compromising the colostrum quality. Health and progesterone profiles were not affected by the dry period length for SH or SR in this study.
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| 28. |
- Andrée O´ Hara, Elisabeth, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of dry period length on milk production and energy balance in two cow breeds
- 2018
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Ingår i: Animal. - 1751-7311 .- 1751-732X. ; 12, s. 508-514
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Shortening the dry period (DP) has been proposed as a strategy to improve energy balance (EB) in cows in early lactation. This study evaluated the effects of shortening the DP on milk yield (MY), EB and residual feed intake (RFI) in two breeds; Swedish Red (SR) and Swedish Holstein (SH). Cows were blocked by breed and parity and then randomly assigned to one of two treatments; short DP of 4 weeks (4W, n = 43) or conventional DP of 8 weeks (8W, n = 34). Cows were kept and fed under the same conditions, except for the 4 weeks when the 4W group were still lactating prepartum and thus kept with the lactating cows. Milk yield and BW were recorded and body condition score (BCS) was rated from 10 weeks prepartum to 12 weeks postpartum. Dry matter intake (DMI) was recorded for lactating cows postpartum. Milk yield was reduced by 6.75 kg/day during the first 12 weeks postpartum ( P< 0.001) for the 4W cows compared with 8W cows, but there was no significant difference in total MY (3724 kg compared with 3684 kg, P = 0.7) when the milk produced prepartum was included. Protein content was higher in 4W cows (3.42%) than in 8W cows (3.27%) ( P<0.001) postpartum. In the 8W group, cows lost more BCS after calving ( P<0.05). Cows of SR breed had higher BCS than cows of SH breed (SR = 3.7, SH = 3.2, P< 0.001), but no differences in BW were found between breed and treatment. Energy balance was improved for cows in the 4W group ( P< 0.001), while feed efficiency, expressed as RFI, was reduced for 4W cows than for 8W cows (5.91 compared with −5.39, P<0.01). Shortening the DP resulted in improved EB postpartum with no difference between the breeds and no milk losses when including the milk produced prepartum.
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| 29. |
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| 30. |
- Anglart, D, et al.
(författare)
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Detecting and predicting changes in milk homogeneity using data from automatic milking systems.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Dairy Science. - : American Dairy Science Association. - 0022-0302 .- 1525-3198. ; 104:10, s. 11009-11017
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To ensure milk quality and detect cows with signs of mastitis, visual inspection of milk by prestripping quarters before milking is recommended in many countries. An objective method to find milk changed in homogeneity (i.e., with clots) is to use commercially available inline filters to inspect the milk. Due to the required manual labor, this method is not applicable in automatic milking systems (AMS). We investigated the possibility of detecting and predicting changes in milk homogeneity using data generated by AMS. In total, 21,335 quarter-level milk inspections were performed on 5,424 milkings of 624 unique cows on 4 farms by applying visual inspection of inline filters that assembled clots from the separate quarters during milking. Images of the filters with clots were scored for density, resulting in 892 observations with signs of clots for analysis (77% traces or mild cases, 15% moderate cases, and 8% heavy cases). The quarter density scores were combined into 1 score indicating the presence of clots during a single cow milking and into 2 scores summarizing the density scores in cow milkings during a 30-h sampling period. Data generated from the AMS, such as milk yield, milk flow, conductivity, and online somatic cell counts, were used as input to 4 multilayer perceptron models to detect or predict single milkings with clots and to detect milking periods with clots. All models resulted in high specificity (98-100%), showing that the models correctly classified cow milkings or cow milking periods with no clots observed. The ability to successfully classify cow milkings or cow periods with observed clots had a low sensitivity. The highest sensitivity (26%) was obtained by the model that detected clots in a single milking. The prevalence of clots in the data was low (2.4%), which was reflected in the results. The positive predictive value depends on the prevalence and was relatively high, with the highest positive predictive value (72%) reached in the model that detected clots during the 30-h sampling periods. The misclassification rate for cow milkings that included higher-density scores was lower, indicating that the models that detected or predicted clots in a single milking could better distinguish the heavier cases of clots. Using data from AMS to detect and predict changes in milk homogeneity seems to be possible, although the prediction performance for the definitions of clots used in this study was poor.
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| 31. |
- Anglart, Dorota, et al.
(författare)
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Modeling cow somatic cell count using sensor data as input to generalized additive models
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Dairy Research. - 0022-0299 .- 1469-7629. ; 87, s. 282-289
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This research paper presents a study investigating if sensor data from an automatic milking rotary could be used to model cow somatic cell count (composite milk SCC: CMSCC). CMSCC is valuable for udder health monitoring and individual cow udder health surveillance could be improved by predicting CMSCC between routine samplings. Data regularly recorded in the automatic milking rotary, in one German dairy herd, were collected for analysis. The cows (Holstein-Friesian,n= 372) were milked twice daily and sampled once weekly in afternoon milkings for 8 weeks for CMSCC. From the potential independent variables, including quarter conductivity, milk flow, blood in milk, kick-offs, not milked quarters and incomplete milkings, new variables that combined quarter data were created. Past period records, i.e. lags, of up to seven days before the actual CMSCC sampling event were added in the dataset to investigate if they were of use in modeling the cell count. Univariable generalized additive models (GAM) were used to screen the data to select potential independent variables. Furthermore, several multivariable GAM were fitted in order to compare the importance of the potential independent variables and to explore how the model performance would be affected by using data from various number of days before the CMSCC sampling event. The result of the model selection showed that the best explanation of CMSCC was provided by the model incorporating all significant variables from the variable screening for the seven preceding days, including the day of the CMSCC sampling event. However, using data from only three days before the CMSCC sampling event is suggested to be sufficient to model CMSCC. Variables combining conductivity quarter data, together with quarter conductivity, are suggested to be important in describing CMSCC. We conclude that CMSCC can be modeled with a high degree of explanation using the information routinely recorded by the milking robot.
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
- Aspán, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental sampling for evaluating verotoxogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 status in dairy cattle herds
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation. - : SAGE Publications. - 1040-6387 .- 1943-4936. ; 25, s. 189-198
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a zoonotic bacterial pathogen capable of causing severe disease in human beings. Cattle are considered to be the main reservoir of the bacterium. The objective of the current study was to compare environmental sampling (consisting of dust, overshoe, and pooled pat samples) with pooled, individual fecal sampling for determining the cattle herd status under field conditions in naturally infected dairy herds. Thirty-one dairy cattle farms in Sweden, where verotoxigenic E. coli O157:H7 had been previously detected, were visited. On each farm, dust, overshoe, and pooled pat sampling were performed in each of 3 different age categories: calves, young stock, and adults. In addition, up to 140 individual fecal samples were collected and analyzed as pooled samples. In total, 3,763 individual fecal and 270 environmental samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of verotoxigenic E. coli O157:H7. Overshoe sampling, alone or in combination with dust and pooled pat sampling, correctly classified 20 of the 24 (0.83, 95% CI: 0.63-0.95) herds detected with at least 1 positive pool. On 1 farm, a dust sample was positive although all other samples were negative. In 6 of the 31 farms, the bacteria could not be detected in any of the individual fecal samples or in the environmental samples. The results establish that environmental sampling is a reliable method for identifying cattle herds with animals shedding verotoxigenic E. coli O157:H7.
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| 35. |
- Aspán, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Longitudinal observational study over 38 months of verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157: H7 status in 126 cattle herds
- 2015
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Ingår i: Preventive Veterinary Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5877 .- 1873-1716. ; 121, s. 343-352
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (VTEC O157:H7) is an important zoonotic pathogen capable of causing infections in humans, sometimes with severe symptoms such as hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). It has been reported that a subgroup of VTEC O157:H7, referred to as clade 8, is overrepresented among HUS cases. Cattle are considered to be the main reservoir of VTEC O157:H7 and infected animals shed the bacteria in feces without showing clinical signs of disease. The aims of the present study were: (1) to better understand how the presence of VTEC O157:H7 in the farm environment changes over an extended period of time, (2) to investigate potential risk factors for the presence of the bacteria, and (3) describe the distribution of MLVA types and specifically the occurrence of the hypervirulent strains (clade 8 strains) of VTEC O157:H7. The farm environment of 126 cattle herds in Sweden were sampled from October 2009 to December 2012 (38 months) using pooled pat and overshoe sampling. Each herd was sampled, on average, on 17 occasions (range = 1-20; median = 19), at intervals of 64 days (range = 7-205; median = 58). Verotoxigenic E. coli O157:H7 were detected on one or more occasions in 53% of the herds (n= 67). In these herds, the percentage of positive sampling occasions ranged from 6% to 72% (mean = 19%; median = 17%). Multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) typing was performed on isolates from infected herds to identify hypervirulent strains (clade 8). Clustering of MLVA profiles yielded 35 clusters and hypervirulent strains were found in 18 herds; the same cluster was often identified on consecutive samplings and in nearby farms. Using generalized estimating equations, an association was found between the probability of detecting VTEC O157:H7 and status at the preceding sampling, season, herd size, infected neighboring farms and recent introduction of animals. This study showed that the bacteria VTEC O157:H7 were spontaneously cleared from the farm environment in most infected herds over time, and key factors were identified to prevent the spread of VTEC O157:H7 between cattle herds.
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| 36. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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A Comparison of Pig Farmers' and Veterinarians' Perceptions and Intentions to Reduce Antimicrobial Usage in Six European Countries
- 2016
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Ingår i: Zoonoses and Public Health. - : Wiley. - 1863-1959 .- 1863-2378. ; 63, s. 534-544
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antimicrobial (AM) resistance is an increasing problem in human and veterinary medicine. To manage this problem, the usage of AM should be reduced in pig farming, as well as in other areas. It is important to investigate the factors that influence both pig farmers' and veterinarians' intentions to reduce AM usage, which is a prerequisite for developing intervention measures. We conducted a mail survey among pig farmers (N=1,294) and an online survey among veterinarians (N=334) in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. The farmers' survey assessed the perceived risks and benefits of and need for AM usage; the intention to reduce AM usage; farmers' efficacy (i.e. perception of their ability to reduce AM usage); support from their veterinarian; and the future reduction potential of AM usage. Additionally, self-reported reduction behaviours, the perceived farmers' barriers to reduce AM usage and relationships with farmers were assessed in the veterinarians' survey. The results showed that farmers and veterinarians had similar perceptions of the risks and benefits of AM usage. Veterinarians appeared to be more optimistic than pig farmers about reducing AM usage in pig farming. Farmers believed that their efficacy over AM reduction was relatively high. Farmers' intention to reduce AM usage and veterinarians' self-reported reduction behaviours were mainly associated with factors concerning the feasibility of reducing AM usage. To promote prudent AM usage, pig farmers should learn and experience how to reduce usage by applying alternative measures, whereas veterinarians should strengthen their advisory role and competencies to support and educate farmers.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Antimicrobial use in Swedish farrow-to-finish pig herds is related to farmer characteristics
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Porcine Health Management. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2055-5660. ; 2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing problem and reducing AM use is critical in limiting its severity. The underlying causes of antimicrobial use at pig farm level must be understood to select effective reduction measures. We previously showed that antimicrobial use on Swedish pig farms is comparatively low but varies between farms, although few farms are high users. In the present survey of a convenience sample of 60 farrow-to-finish herds in Sweden, we investigated farmers’ attitudes to antimicrobials and the influence of information provided by veterinarians about antimicrobial resistance. Farm characteristics were also recorded. We had previously quantified antimicrobial use for different age categories of pigs during one year, as well as external and internal biosecurity. Risk factors based on hypothetical causal associations between these and calculated treatment incidence (TI) for the different age categories were assessed here in a linear regression model.Results: There were no significant associations between biosecurity and TI for any pig age category. Increasing farmer age was associated with higher TI for suckling piglets and fatteners. For suckling piglets, the age group with the highest frequency of treatment, TI was also significantly associated with farmer and education of the staff, where female farmers, and university educated staff was associated with a higher TI. Larger farms were associated with a higher TI in fatteners.Conclusions: In the investigated Swedish pig farms, factors that influenced antimicrobial usage were more related to characteristics of the individual farmer and his/her staff than to biosecurity level, other management factors or farmers’ attitudes to antimicrobials.
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| 40. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Application of multiblock modelling to identify key drivers for antimicrobial use in pig production in four European countries
- 2018
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Ingår i: Epidemiology and Infection. - 0950-2688 .- 1469-4409. ; 146, s. 1003-1014
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antimicrobial use in pig farming is influenced by a range of risk factors, including herd characteristics, biosecurity level, farm performance, occurrence of clinical signs and vaccination scheme, as well as farmers' attitudes and habits towards antimicrobial use. So far, the effect of these risk factors has been explored separately. Using an innovative method called multi-block partial least-squares regression, this study aimed to investigate, in a sample of 207 farrow-to-finish farms from Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden, the relative importance of the six above mentioned categories or 'blocks' of risk factors for antimicrobial use in pig production, Four country separate models were developed; they showed that all six blocks provided useful contribution to explaining antimicrobial use in at least one country. The occurrence of clinical signs, especially of respiratory and nervous diseases in fatteners, was one of the largest contributing blocks in all four countries, whereas the effect of the other Mocks differed between countries. In terms of risk management, it suggests that a holistic and country-specific mitigation strategy is likely to he more effective. However, further research is needed to validate our findings in larger and more representative samples, as well as in other countries.
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| 41. |
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| 42. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Biosecurity level and health management practices in 60 Swedish farrow-to-finish herds
- 2015
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Ingår i: Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0044-605X .- 1751-0147. ; 57
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Biosecurity measures are important tools to maintain animal health in pig herds. Within the MINAPIG project, whose overall aim is to evaluate strategies to raise pigs with less antimicrobial use, biosecurity was evaluated in medium to large farrow-to-finish pig herds in Sweden. In 60 farrow-to-finish herds with more than 100 sows, the biosecurity level was evaluated using a previously developed protocol (BioCheck). In a detailed questionnaire, internal and external biosecurity was scored in six subcategories each. An overall score for biosecurity was also provided. Information regarding production parameters as well as gender and educational level of personnel working with the pigs was also collected. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the recorded data.Results: The median scores for external and internal biosecurity were 68 and 59, respectively, where 0 indicates total absence of biosecurity and 100 means maximal possible biosecurity. The subcategories for external and internal biosecurity that had the highest scores were "Purchase of animals" (external) and "Nursery unit"/"Fattening unit" (internal), while "Feed, water and equipment supplies" (external) and "Measures between compartments and equipment"/"Cleaning and disinfection" (internal) received the lowest scores. A female caretaker in the farrowing unit, a farmer with fewer years of experience and more educated personnel were positively associated with higher scores for some of the external and internal subcategories. In herds with < 190 sows, fattening pigs were mixed between batches significantly more often than in larger herds.Conclusions: The herds in this study had a high level of external biosecurity, as well as good internal biosecurity. Strong biosecurity related to the purchase of animals, protocols for visitors, the use of all-in, all-out systems, and sanitary period between batches. Still, there is room for improvement in preventing both the introduction of disease to herds (external) and the spread of infections within herds (internal). Systems for animal transport can be improved and with respect to internal biosecurity, there is especially room for improvement regarding hygiene measures in and between compartments, as well as the staff's working procedures between different groups of pigs.
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| 43. |
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| 44. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Effectiveness of alternative measures to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production in four European countries
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Porcine Health Management. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2055-5660. ; 6
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The reduction of antimicrobial usage (AMU) is in the focus in modern pig production. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of alternatives to reduce AMU at herd level. In a prospective study, 68 farrow-to-finish pig herds located in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden were recruited on a voluntary basis to implement tailor-made intervention plans to reduce their AMU. Alternative measures included improvement of biosecurity (n = 29 herds), vaccination (n = 30), changes of feeding schemes or drinking water quality (n = 45), improved pig health and welfare care (n = 21) as well as changes in stable climate and zootechnical measures (n = 14). Herds were followed for 1 year after implementation of measures. Annual antimicrobial expenditures or treatment records, as well as disease incidence scores were collected and compared to those of the year before intervention. AMU was measured as the treatment incidence and calculated by age category, antimicrobial class and administration route. Results Compliance with the intervention plans was high (median 93%). AMU was significantly reduced following the implementation of alternative measures: in the median herd of the four countries, pigs were treated before intervention 25% of their expected lifespan (200 days from birth to slaughter) and after intervention 16%. AMU of suckling and weaned pigs were significantly reduced by 37 and 54%, respectively. The usage of polymyxins and tetracyclines was significantly reduced by 69 and 49%, respectively. AMU via feed and water, as well as parenteral AMU were significantly reduced by 46 and 36%, respectively. Herds with a higher AMU level before intervention achieved a bigger reduction. The majority of disease incidence were similar before and after intervention, with a few exceptions of disorders related to the gastro-intestinal tract in suckling pigs (decreased) and in breeding pigs (increased). Conclusion Following tailor-made implementation of alternative measures, a substantial reduction of AMU in pig production was achievable without jeopardizing animal health. The AMU reduction in the youngest age categories (suckling and weaned pigs) and the reduction of group treatments via feed and water was in line with the recent European Guidelines on the prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine.
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of the relationship between the biosecurity status, production parameters, herd characteristics and antimicrobial usage in farrow-to-finish pig production in four EU countries
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Porcine Health Management. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2055-5660. ; 2
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: High antimicrobial usage and the threat of antimicrobial resistance highlighted the need for reduced antimicrobial usage in pig production. Prevention of disease however, is necessary to obtain a reduced need for antimicrobial treatment. This study aimed at assessing possible associations between the biosecurity level, antimicrobial usage and farm and production characteristics in order to advice on best practices for a low antimicrobial usage and maximum animal health and production.A cross-sectional study was conducted in 227 farrow-to-finish pig herds in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden between December 2012 and December 2013. Associations between biosecurity status, antimicrobial usage, and production parameters were evaluated with multivariable general linear models, according to an assumed causal pathway.Results: The results showed that higher antimicrobial usage in sows tended to be associated with higher antimicrobial usage from birth until slaughter (p = 0.06). The antimicrobial usage from birth until slaughter was positively associated with the number of pathogens vaccinated against (p < 0.01). A shorter farrowing rhythm (p < 0.01) and a younger weaning age (p = 0.06) tended to be also associated with a higher antimicrobial usage from birth until slaughter whereas a better external biosecurity (p < 0.01) was related with a lower antimicrobial usage from birth until slaughter.Conclusion: Management practices such as weaning age and biosecurity measures may be important factors indirectly impacting on antimicrobial usage. We therefore promote a holistic approach when assessing the potential to reduce the need for antimicrobial treatments.
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| 47. |
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| 48. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Factors influencing pig farmers’ and veterinarians’ intention to reduce antimicrobial usage in six european countries
- 2016
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Veterinary antimicrobial (AM) usage should be reduced to mitigate the development of AM resistance. This study investigated factors that influence pig farmers’ intention to reduce AM usage and veterinarians’ reported reduction behaviour; these are a prerequisite for actual behaviour. A survey was conducted among 1,294 pig farmers and 334 veterinarians in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland to assess the perceived risks, benefits and need of AM usage, potential for AM usage reduction, farmers’ self-efficacy (i.e. perceived own abilities to reduce AM usage), relation with farmers as clients and support from veterinarian. Farmers’ self-efficacy and perceived feasibility of AM usage reduction were the main predictors of farmers’ intention to reduce AM usage and veterinarians’ reduction behaviour, respectively. To promote prudent AM usage, pig farmers need to learn how to control their AM usage by applying alternative measures, whereas veterinarians should strengthen their advisory role to support and educate farmers English
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| 49. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Herd-specific interventions to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig production without jeopardising technical and economic performance
- 2017
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Ingår i: Preventive Veterinary Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5877 .- 1873-1716. ; 144, s. 167-178
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pig farmers are strongly encouraged to reduce their antimicrobial usage in order to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Herd-level intervention is needed to achieve national and European reduction targets. Alternative, especially preventive measures, have to be implemented to reduce the need for antimicrobial treatments. However, little is known about the feasibility, effectiveness and return on investment of such measures. The objective of this study was to assess, across four countries, the technical and economic impact of herd-specific interventions aiming at reducing antimicrobial usage in pig production while implementing alternative measures.An intervention study was conducted between February 2014 and August 2015 in 70 farrow-to-finish pig farms located in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. Herd-specific interventions were defined together with the farmer and the herd veterinarian. Farms were followed over one year and their antimicrobial usage and technical performance were compared with values from the year before intervention. Compliance with the intervention plan was also monitored. Changes in margin over feed cost and net farm profit were estimated in a subset of 33 Belgian and French farms with sufficient data, using deterministic and stochastic modeling.Following interventions, a substantial reduction in antimicrobial use was achieved without negative impact the overall farm technical performance. A median reduction of 47.0% of antimicrobial usage was achieved across four countries when expressed in terms of treatment incidence from birth to slaughter, corresponding to a 30.5% median reduction of antimicrobial expenditures. Farm compliance with intervention plans was high (median: 93%; min-max: 20; 100) and farms with higher compliance tended to achieve bigger reduction (rho = -0.18, p = 0.162). No association was found between achieved reduction and type or number of alternative measures implemented. Mortality in suckling piglets, weaners and fatteners, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio did not significantly change over the course of the study, while the number of weaned piglets per sow per year slightly increased. The median change in net farm profit among Belgian and French farms was estimated to be (sic)4.46 (Q25-Q75:-32.54; 80.50) and (sic)1.23 (Q25-Q75:-32.55; 74.45) per sow per year using the detererministic and stochastic models, respectively. It was more influenced by a change in feed conversion ratio and daily weight gain than by a change in antimicrobial expenditures or intervention direct net cost. Therefore, costs of alternative measures should not be perceived as a barrier, but rather as an opportunity to optimise production practices for sustained productivity and improved animal health. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 50. |
- Backhans, Annette, et al.
(författare)
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Higher perceived risks of antimicrobial use are related to lower usage among pig farmers in four European countries
- 2016
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Ingår i: Veterinary Record. - : Wiley. - 0042-4900 .- 2042-7670. ; 179
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The prudent use of antimicrobials (AMs) should be widened in pig farming to reduce the risk of AM resistance (AMR) in human and veterinary medicine. It is therefore important to understand pig farmers' motivators and the barriers to AM usage (AMU) on their farms. The authors investigated pig farmers' self-estimated levels of AMU, their perceived benefits and risks and the need for AMs in a cross-sectional survey in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden. The authors also compared these perceptions between the four countries and related them to pig farmers' actual AMU. The results showed that farmers who used more AMs also estimated their own usage as higher. Farmers perceived many benefits but relatively few risks of AMU in pig farming. Some significant cross-country differences in farmers' perceptions were found, but they were relatively small. After controlling for country differences and farm differences, only perceived risks had a significant association with AMU. The authors therefore conclude that in order to promote prudent AMU, it seems most promising to focus on the structural differences in pig farming and veterinary medicine (e.g. legislation, role of the veterinarian) among countries. In addition, interventions which aim at reducing AMU should increase farmers' awareness of the risks of extensive AMU.
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