173 research outputs found
Mastitis and farmer mindset : towards effective communication strategies to improve udder health management on Dutch dairy farms
No full textMastitis (udder inflammation) is considered one of the main health issues in the dairy industry. It is a costly disease that also has an impact on animal welfare, on milk quality, and on farmers’ pleasure in their work. Furthermore, the use of antimicrobial treatments as a result of mastitis – the biggest contributor to antibiotic use in the dairy industry – is undesirable due to the risk of both antibiotic contamination of milk and the development of bacterial resistance. Consequently, mastitis prevention is relevant for animal welfare, for society, the dairy industry, and farmers. Why some farmers, even though it would improve their results, do not implement effective mastitis management practices is not always known. It is assumed that ‘farmer mindset’, including farmers’ attitudes, beliefs, values, knowledge, perceived norms, and perceived self efficacy, influences farmers’ behavior and therefore their herds’ udder health status. Worldwide, several projects have started to influence farmers’ behavior to improve udder health. In 2005, the Dutch Udder Health Centre (UGCN) was established to execute a national program to improve udder health in five years, aiming at better implementation of the current knowledge on mastitis prevention by deploying various communication strategies to reach farmers and to change their mindset. This thesis aims to understand Dutch dairy farmers’ behavior and mindset regarding udder health management and to study the efficacy of various communication strategies. In the studies presented in this thesis, a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods were used, combining social and veterinary sciences to gather data on farmer mindset towards mastitis and data on the efficacy of various communication strategies. In this interdisciplinary and practice-based approach, studies were initiated on the basis of observations and experiences during the execution of the udder health program or on the basis of emerging questions that followed from the previous studies. Results and recommendations derived from the studies were reported to UGCN and as much as possible implemented to further improve the program; this led to a strong interaction between science and practice. The results of this thesis show that farmer mindset is a decisive factor in mastitis prevention. In particular, the perceived level of mastitis problems (i.e. “Do I have a problem?”) as well as the perceived efficacy of preventive measures (i.e. “Can I solve the problem easily?”) are important determinants that need to be addressed in communication strategies. Veterinarians can be important intermediaries in communication about udder health improvement, provided that they are aware of their role as proactive advisor and apply the relevant communication skills. To be effective, a disease program should do more than distribute technical information about best management practices to dairy farmers. Prevention of complex diseases, such as mastitis, requires customized communication strategies as well as an integrated approach between various stakeholders and different scientific disciplines. Such programs need to be supported by a combination of several policy measures to change farm management in the long term, because for example milk price, milk quota, and financial incentives on milk quality norms, such as bonuses and penalties, have a strong influence on farmer mindset. It should therefore be taken into account that farmers are part of, and are influenced by, a wide societal and institutional context. This thesis provides insight into Dutch dairy farmers’ behavior and mindset towards udder health management, and into the way these can be affected by communication strategies. The findings of this thesis can contribute to the optimization of future programs designed to control and prevent livestock diseases. </p
Udder health and communication (Proceedings of the international conference 25-27 october 2011, Utrecht, the Netherlands)/ Edit.: H. Hogeveen; T.J.G.M. Lam
No full text428 hal.: ill, tab.; 24 cm
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Effective communication to improve udder health: can social science help?
No full textImproved udder health requires consistent application of appropriate management practices
by those involved in managing dairy herds and the milking process. Designing effective
communication requires that we understand why dairy herd managers behave in the way they
do and also how the means of communication can be used both to inform and to influence.
Social sciences- ranging from economics to anthropology - have been used to shed light on
the behaviour of those who manage farm animals. Communication science tells us that
influencing behaviour is not simply a question of „getting the message across‟ but of
addressing the complex of factors that influence an individual‟s behavioural decisions. A
review of recent studies in the animal health literature shows that different social science
frameworks and methodologies offer complementary insights into livestock managers‟
behaviour but that the diversity of conceptual and methodological frameworks presents a
challenge for animal health practitioners and policy makers who seek to make sense of the
findings – and for researchers looking for helpful starting points. Data from a recent study in
England illustrate the potential of „home-made‟ conceptual frameworks to help unravel the
complexity of farmer behaviour. At the same time, though, the data indicate the difficulties
facing those designing communication strategies in a context where farmers believe strongly
that they are already doing all they can reasonably be expected to do to minimise animal
health risks
Use of in-line measurements of somatic cell count to evaluate treatment efficacy of subclinical bovine Straphylococcus aureus mastitis
No full textEffects of health and welfare planning on the use of antibiotics and udder health in European dairy farms
No full textTo improve the sustainability of dairy production it is essential to establish practices that reduce medicine use whilst safeguarding or improving herd health and productivity. Aiming at minimising medicine use through animal health and welfare planning (AHWP), 111farms in 6 countries were monitored as part of the wide CORE Organic lic ANIPLAN project. For this purpose, the number of udder treatments with antibiotics was recorded. Somatic cell score (SCS) served as an indicator of udder health, and milk yield and average Iactation number were calculated at the farm Ievel from milk recording data. Treatment and milk recording data were collected for a one year period before and after a first farm visit. AHWP was carried out either in stable schools or using one-to-one-advice. Generallinearmodels for repeated measures revealed a decrease in udder treatments with antibiotics over all farms (P=0.004). SCS improved significantly over all farms (P=0.025), whilst milk yield and average Iactation number remained unchanged (P>0.05). Choosing tudder health' as AHWP focus area (58% of the farmers) did not further improve the parameters investigated. The implementation of an AHWP process can be regarded as a feasible approach to improve udder health and minimise medicine use without impairment of productivity
Quality control of raw cows' milk by headspace analysis : a new approach to mastitis diagnosis
No full textIn de levensmiddelenindustrie wordt veelvuldig de kwaliteit van levensmiddelen getest met behulp van apparaten die aan het voedsel ruiken. Dit is ook op melk toegepast. Hierbij bleek dat melk van goede kwaliteit slechts zeven verschillende geurstoffen bevat (ter vergelijking, in kaas worden meer dan honderd verschillende geurstoffen aangetroffen). Na analyse van de geurpatronen in melk met verschillende gebreken bleek dat in melk onder andere residuen van reinigingsmiddelen en de mate van vetafbraak gedetecteerd konden worden. Vervolgens is onderzoek gedaan naar melk van koeien met uierontsteking (mastitis), één van de belangrijkste ziekten bij melkkoeien. In een eerste experiment bleek dat de geurstoffen in mastitis melkmonsters een bijzonder patroon vertoonden, waarbij een statistisch model op basis van het patroon aan geurstoffen kon voorspellen welke bacterie de veroorzaker van de uierontsteking was. Vervolgens is bepaald dat de geurstoffen gevormd werden door de bacterie zelf. Uit het laatste experiment bleek dat 4 tot 8 uur incubatietijd nodig was voorafgaand aan de identificatie van geurstoffen
Costs and efficacy of management measures to improve udder health at Dutch dairy farms: the use of expertise
No full textUdder health and communication : proceedings of the international conference 25-27 October 2011, Utrecht, the Netherlands
No full textIn dairy industries throughout the world there is a desire to optimize udder health. An improved udder health will lead to improved animal welfare, improved production efficiency and a reduction of the use of antibiotics. To improve udder health, first of all, technical knowledge on issues such as treatment, milking, infectious pressure and host resistance is important. However, over the years we learned that knowledge alone is not enough: knowledge has to be used. And for knowledge to be used, farmers have to be motivated. This requires knowledge about motivation and communication. In this book, recent knowledge on technical udder health issues is combined with knowledge on motivation and communication. A large number of descriptions of mastitis control programs that are being carried out worldwide is combined with more specific studies. These are aimed at effective advising, motivation and communication strategies, economics, and technical studies on mastitis control and prevention. Therefore, this book provides an applied source of information for all that are willing to improve udder health
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