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Exploring the Opinions of Irish Dairy Farmers Regarding Male Dairy Calves.

ABSTRACT: Background: There has been very little previous research in Ireland on the farmers' opinions regarding calf welfare issues. Calf welfare, particularly for male dairy calves, has assumed greater importance in Ireland in recent years due, in part, to an increase in the number of dairy cattle over the past decade. The objective of this study was to explore dairy farmers' views on a broad range of issues related to the expansion in the dairy herd. Methods: A survey was developed to capture the views of farmers regarding male dairy calves. The majority of questions were quantitative, and a final open-ended question collected qualitative data. The survey was distributed to ~2,900 dairy farmers via text message and 881 responses were received. Results: The sample was composed almost entirely of dairy farmers, although ~20% also had a beef enterprise on their farm. Fifty eight percent of the farmers were concerned with the increase in the number of male dairy calves in recent years. The EU's abolition of milk quotas, the profitability of dairy farming compared to other farm types, and guidance from farm advisors were the three highest ranked drivers behind the increase in the number of male dairy calves. The three highest ranked options for managing the number of male dairy calves were to increase exports, encourage greater use of sexed semen, and improve the beef merit of these calves. Eighty five percent of respondents stated that individual farmers had responsibility for making changes to the number of male dairy calves. The main themes arising from analysis of the responses to the open-ended question, seeking any additional comments, were breed, beef price, live exports, and sexed semen. Conclusions: Dairy farmers recognized the responsibility they have for making changes in respect of male dairy calves, and many demonstrated a willingness to make changes in this regard. The important role of other stakeholders, particularly suckler (system where reared from calf to beef) farmers, in rearing male dairy calves for beef production was also recognized. However, the issues of who bears the risks and costs associated with greater integration will have to be carefully considered.

SUBMITTER: Maher JW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8093389 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Background: There has been very little previous research in Ireland on the opinions of farmers regarding dairy beef integration. The need for increased dairy beef integration has assumed a greater importance in Ireland in recent years due to a rapid expansion in dairy production, and associated increase in numbers of male dairy calves born on Irish farms. The objective of this study was to explore beef farmers' views on a broad range of issues related to dairy beef integration, using a survey methodology. The survey was distributed to approximately 4,250 beef farmers via email and 1,203 participated in the study. Results: The sample was composed almost entirely of beef farmers, although a very small proportion also had a dairy enterprise on their farm. Eighty percent of the farmers were concerned with the increase in the number of male dairy calves in recent years. Fifty seven percent of farmers responded that they were not willing to rear dairy bred calves for beef. Limousin, Aberdeen Angus and Hereford were the breeds farmers would be most willing to rear for beef. Good health, breed, and conformation were ranked as the main factors calf rearers consider when buying calves. Expectation of poor profit margin, expectation of poor-quality calves, and price volatility/market uncertainty were the top ranked factors dissuading farmers from rearing dairy calves for beef. The main themes arising from the qualitative question related to beef price/ability to make a profit, breed, and calf quality. Conclusions: While it is concerning that the majority of respondents expressed an unwillingness to rear dairy bred calves for beef, approximately a quarter of beef farmers indicated a willingness to rear beef-sired dairy calves for beef. In the qualitative responses, farmers described how their concerns about calf quality and their ability to make a profit from dairy bred calves would make it difficult for them to rear these calves for beef. Future strategy will have to consider how these challenges can be overcome and the issues of who bears the risks and costs associated with greater integration will have to be carefully considered.

Project description:IntroductionBovine respiratory disease (BRD) has a significant impact on the health and welfare of dairy calves. It can result in increased antimicrobial usage, decreased growth rate and reduced future productivity. There is no gold standard antemortem diagnostic test for BRD in calves and no estimates of the prevalence of respiratory disease in seasonal calving dairy herds.MethodsTo estimate BRD prevalence in seasonal calving dairy herds in Ireland, 40 dairy farms were recruited and each farm was visited once during one of two calving seasons (spring 2020 & spring 2021). At that visit the prevalence of BRD in 20 calves between 4 and 6 weeks of age was determined using thoracic ultrasound score (≥3) and the Wisconsin respiratory scoring system (≥5). Hierarchical Bayesian latent class analysis was used to estimate the calf-level true prevalence of BRD, and the within-herd prevalence distribution, accounting for the imperfect nature of both diagnostic tests.ResultsIn total, 787 calves were examined, of which 58 (7.4%) had BRD as defined by a Wisconsin respiratory score ≥5 only, 37 (4.7%) had BRD as defined by a thoracic ultrasound score of ≥3 only and 14 (1.8%) calves had BRD based on both thoracic ultrasound and clinical scoring. The primary model assumed both tests were independent and used informed priors for test characteristics. Using this model the true prevalence of BRD was estimated as 4%, 95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI) (1%, 8%). This prevalence estimate is lower or similar to those found in other dairy production systems. Median within herd prevalence varied from 0 to 22%. The prevalence estimate was not sensitive to whether the model was constructed with the tests considered conditionally dependent or independent. When the case definition for thoracic ultrasound was changed to a score ≥2, the prevalence estimate increased to 15% (95% BCI: 6%, 27%).DiscussionThe prevalence of calf respiratory disease, however defined, was low, but highly variable, in these seasonal calving dairy herds.

Project description:Consumers, industrial stakeholders, and the legislature demand a stronger focus on animal welfare of all livestock at the farm level by using suitable indicators in self-assessments. In order to deduce farms' animal welfare status reliably, factors that influence indicators' results need to be identified. Hence, this study aimed to apply possible animal welfare indicators for unweaned dairy calves on conventional dairy farms with early cow-calf separation and evaluate influencing factors such as age and sex of calves or climatic conditions on the applied indicators' results. An animal welfare assessment using 7 resource-based and 14 animal-based indicators was conducted at 42 typical Western German dairy farms (844 calves) in 2018 and 2019 by two observers. The effect of influencing factors was calculated by binary and ordinal logistic regressions and expressed as odds ratios. Although every unweaned calf was assessed during the farm visits, most farms had relatively few unweaned calves (average number of calves ± standard deviation = 20.1 ± 6.7 calves), with six farms having not more than 10 calves. The small sample sizes question the usage of those indicators to compare between farms and to set thresholds at the farm level. Only one assessed indicator (cleanliness core body) was not statistically affected by the evaluated influencing factors. Calf age was identified as the most decisive factor, as it affected 16 of 21 evaluated indicators, and calf age distribution on-farm varied greatly. Climatic conditions (ambient temperature and rainfall) influenced resource-based indicators such as access to concentrate and water or the cleanliness of feeding implements and bedding as well as animal-based cleanliness indicators and the occurrence of health-related impairments such as coughing and diarrhea. The authors found differences between calves on farms assessed by the different observers not only in resource-based hygiene indicators but also in animal-based indicators such as hyperthermia or hypothermia, highlighting the need for further evaluation of quality criteria in dairy calf welfare assessments. Nevertheless, animal welfare assessments by farmers themselves could be useful tools to sensitize farmers to animal welfare and thereby improve calves' welfare.

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Exploring the Opinions of Irish Dairy Farmers Regarding Male Dairy Calves.

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