Improving animal health and welfare in organic cattle milk production through breeding and management (original) (raw)
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Journal of Dairy Science, 2019
Our aim was to map the performance of local (native) dairy cattle breeds in Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and Sweden with regard to production, fertility, longevity, and health-associated traits and to compare them with commercial (modern) breeds. For this purpose, we analyzed test-day records (July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2014) and treatment records (Austria, Sweden) of cows managed on organic farms. We performed country-wise comparisons of 123,415 lactations from Original Braunvieh (OB) and Grey Cattle (AL) with Braunvieh (BV; Brown Swiss blood >60%) in Switzerland; AL with BV (Brown Swiss blood >50%) in Austria; Polish Black and White (ZB), Polish Red and White (ZR), and Polish Red (RP) with Polish Holstein Friesian (PHF) in Poland; and Swedish Red (SRB) with Swedish Holstein (SH) in Sweden. Average milk yields were substantially lower for local compared with commercial breeds in all countries; differences ranged from 750 kg (Sweden) to 1,822 kg (Austria), albeit on very different average levels. Local breeds showed a longer productive lifetime by 0.64, 0.83, 1.42, and 0.20 lactations in Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and Sweden, respectively, again on very different levels in each country. Regarding fertility traits, calving interval was shorter in local than in commercial breeds by 13 (Sweden), 14 (Switzerland), and 20 d (Austria, Poland). Insemination index was lower in certain local breeds by 0.15 (Switzerland), 0.14 (Austria), 0.21 (Poland), and 0.13 (Sweden). Several local breeds showed a lower proportion of cows with >100,000 somatic cells/mL. This was the case in Switzerland (OB 24.2%; BV 35.8%), Austria (AL 25.3%; BV 36.9%), and Sweden (SRB 42.4%; SH 43.4%). In contrast, the respective proportion in Poland exceeded 82% in all breeds except the commercial PHF (76.1%). In Sweden, lactations with veterinary treatments were considerably less prevalent in SRB (15.6%) than in SH (21.7%). In Austria, breeds differed only in treatments for udder disorders, which favored AL. In conclusion, the markedly lower milk yields of local breeds are partly counterbalanced by (somewhat inconsistent) advantages in longevity, fertility, and health traits across 4 European countries. This indicates that the robustness of local breeds can contribute to improved sustainability of organic dairy systems.
Fertility, somatic cell count and milk production in Swedish organic and conventional dairy herds
Livestock Science, 2009
The share of organic dairy production in EU is increasing and this study describes the herd structure and cow performance in organic and conventional dairy production systems in Sweden. The data included records from 2 902 718 lactations, collected in organic (n = 471) and conventional (n = 13 976) herds between 1998 and 2005. Compared with conventional herds, the organic herds were larger and increased more rapidly in size. The replacement rate was slightly lower in organic herds and fewer Swedish Holsteins were used. The statistical analysis of cow performance in the first three lactations showed lower milk, fat and protein production in organic herds, but the increase in production from first to second lactation was larger when expressed in kg milk. Fertility was better for organically managed cows compared to conventionally managed cows, but the somatic cell count (SCC) was higher. However, at a given production level the fertility was slightly worse in organic herds while there was no difference in SCC. No interactions of importance were found between production system and breed for any trait. The results showed that organic and conventional dairy production differed regarding herd structure and cow performance. However, the differences in fertility and SCC found were to a high extent explained by the lower milk yield in organic production and no breed was found to perform better in either system.
Livestock Production Science, 2003
This paper focuses on the changes in production, herd health and veterinary treatments in Danish organic dairy herds over | 11 years based on historic data from herds converted to organic milk production before 1990 (old organic herds) compared to herds converted in 1995 and 1999-2000 and herds that are still conventional. Herd size, milk production, the shape of the lactation curve, somatic cell counts and veterinary treatments for mastitis, retained placenta and ketosis were compared over time and between herd groups. The old organic herds differed from the other three herd groups by having lower milk production per cow, lower somatic cell counts and fewer treatments for mastitis. Herds converted in 1995 and 1999-2000 were comparable to the conventional herds before conversion for all analyzed parameters. However, herd size was larger than both the older organic herds and the conventional herds after conversion. Production was | 2 kg energy corrected milk lower per cow per day than before conversion and compared to the conventional herds. In the herds converted in 1999-2000 little difference could be seen in relation to udder health after conversion when compared to conventional herds. The organic herds had fewer treatments for retained placenta and ketosis than the conventional herds. The shape of the lactation curves changed over the 11-year period with better persistency from day 60 to day 305 in all herd groups except for the old organic herds, which had the best persistency in 1990.
Breed performance in organic dairy farming in Northern Spain
Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 2019
Organic farm management combines best environmental practices, a high level of biodiversity, preservation of natural resources and high animal welfare standards. To meet these criteria, farmers must have livestock well adapted to local organic conditions and information about how different breeds and crosses perform under different conditions. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of different pure breeds and crossbreeds of cattle in organic dairy systems in Northern Spain. The data analysed were obtained from monthly records kept between 2010 and 2016 on organic farms registered in the regional Milk Recording System. Analysis of various traits indicated that the Holstein-Friesian breed suits the organic production system in the study region. Although the reproductive performance of Holstein-Friesian cows was poorer (in terms of number of services per conception) than that of crossbreed and Brown Swiss cows, the Holstein-Friesian produced more milk and lived longer. In addition, there was no difference in calving type or calving ease between the different breed groups. The better milk fat and protein yields produced by the crosses may be useful traits for farmers interested in milk transformation. The advantage of continuing to use Holstein-Friesian cattle is that the breed is predominant worldwide and the genealogy is well documented. If Holstein-Friesian cattle continue to be used, the main priority will be to search for well-adapted bulls (particularly for pasture-based conditions) and to elaborate a genetic merit index for organic and pasture-based systems with the aim of predicting and minimizing genotype x environment interactions.
Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research
Organic systems are highly dependent on the environment and require animals well adapted to local conditions. In Spain, organic dairy farmers are not satisfied with the productive performance of their herds and ask for technical advice to obtain suitable animals for organic systems. The milk productive performance (milk yield, nutritional composition, and somatic cell count) of Holstein-Friesian cows in organic farming in North Spain compared with conventional farms has been analysed. When breed diversity was present in the same organic farm, Holstein-Friesian milk performance was compared with other breeds and/or crosses. Holstein-Friesian cows in organic farming produce slightly less milk than grazing conventional cows, but milk was similar in composition and somatic cell count across systems. The limited data from organic farms where breed diversity exists indicate that Holstein-Friesian cows produce numerically more milk than other breeds and crosses but with statistically lower...
Journal of Dairy Science, 2006
Estimates of genetic parameters for organic dairy farming have not been published previously, and neither is information available on the magnitude of genotype by environment interaction (G×E) between organic and conventional farming. However, organic farming is growing worldwide and basic information about genetic parameters is needed for future breeding strategies for organic dairy farming. The goal of this study was to estimate heritabilities of milk production traits under organic farming conditions and to estimate the magnitude of G×E between organic and conventional dairy farming. For this purpose, production records of firstparity Holstein heifers were used. Heritabilities of milk, fat and protein yield, and somatic cell score (SCS) were higher under organic farming conditions. For percentages of fat and protein, heritabilities of organic and conventional production were very similar. Genetic correlations between preorganic and organic, and organic and conventional milk production were 0.79 and 0.80, respectively. For fat yield, these correlations were 0.86 and 0.88, and for protein yield, these were 0.78 and 0.71, respectively. Our findings indicate that moderate G×E was present for yield traits. For percentage of fat and protein and SCS, genetic correlations between organic and conventional and preorganic production were close to unity, indicating that there was no G×E for these traits.
animal, 2019
Although the use of local breeds is recommended by organic regulations, breed comparisons performed under organic production conditions with similar production intensities are scarce. Therefore, we compared data of local and widely used Holstein dairy cattle breeds from 2011 to 2015 regarding production, fertility and health from German and Swedish organic farms with similar management intensities within country. In Germany, the energy-corrected total milk yield tended to be lower in the local breed Original Angler Cattle (AAZ, 5193 kg) compared to the modern German Holstein Friesian breed (HO, 5620 kg), but AAZ showed higher milk fat and protein contents (AAZ v. HO: 5.09% v. 4.18% and 3.61% v. 3.31%, respectively). In Sweden, the widely used modern Swedish Holstein (SH) breed had the highest milk yield (9209 kg, fat: 4.10%, protein: 3.31%), while the local Swedish Polled (SKB) showed highest milk yield, fat and protein contents (6169 kg, 4.47%, 3.50%, respectively), followed by the...
Herd health and health management in organic versus conventional dairy herds in Norway
Livestock Science, 2007
Earlier studies from Norway indicate that organic dairy farms enjoy better animal health than conventional dairy farms. However, these studies use veterinary treatment records and may not reflect the true health status since animal health may be handled differently, i.e. there might be different treatment schemes on organic versus in conventional farms.
Kafkas Universitesi Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi, 2016
The purpose of this study was to determine effects of non-genetic factors on milk yield, milk composition and somatic cell count (SCC) of dairy cows. A total of 4891 records of Hungarian Holstein cows raised in a private dairy farm in South Hungary, between 2007 and 2008 were investigated. Fat, protein and lactose were assessed as milk composition parameters. To evaluate milking cows by effective factors; three different stage of lactation (SL) (SL 1= 90d<, SL 2= 91-150d and SL 3=151≤d), five parity, four calving season (CS) and three body condition score (BCS) groups (group1=<3 points; group2=3-3.50 points and group3=>3.50 points) were designed. While fat, protein and lactose decreased, daily milk yield (DMY), 305 daily milk yield (305 DMY) and SCC increased with advanced parity. Fat, protein and SCC increased, but lactose and DMY tended to drop with later SL and BCS. These parameters were highest in cows calved in winter-autumn, summer, winter-spring and winter-autumn, respectively. DMY negatively correlated with investigated parameters except for lactose and 305 DMY. The study revealed that non-genetic factors are associated with milk composition, yield and SCC of milk. Therefore, it is suggested that these factors should primarily be considered to obtain more quality and quantity milk from dairy cows.
Livestock Science, 2017
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of production disease related indicators on 192 organic dairy farms in Germany, Spain, France and Sweden. The following indicators were used: raised somatic cell count (> 100,000 cells/ml, subclinical mastitis), high fat/protein ratio (risk of ketosis), low milk fat (risk of acidosis), prolonged calving interval, clinical lameness, and mortalities of calves and cows. Prevalence of the assessed indicators varied widely between farms and countries. The median prevalence (interquartile range) were 51.3% (15.4) for subclinical mastitis, 10% (7.7) for risk of ketosis, 3.2% (4.7) for risk of acidosis, 42% (20.7) for prolonged calving interval, and 14.2% (20.4) for clinical lameness. The incidence risk of calves dying between 1 and 90 days of age was 0.002 (0.043) per month of risk. Cow mortality was 0.026 (0.048) per year at risk. The assessment has shown that a comprehensive set of indicators can be calculated from readily available data, sparing the need to establish new and costly procedures. Future research should focus on strategies for using the information most effectively to reduce the level of production diseases in organic dairy farms.