QualityLowInputFood WP 4.5: Development of efficient farm and/or farmer group specific mastitis prevention plans

Organic regulations claim that animal health should be assured by a cascade of measures, namely breeding (long-term), management & prevention (medium-term), and complementary medicine (short-term), before conventional medicine can be applied, exceptionally. However, effective alternative methods for mastitis control in dairy cows are not used generally, and herd health management to improve udder health is not implemented in most of organic dairy farms. The lack of a wide spread network of skilled veterinarians is an additional factor, which strengthens the situation dramatically. Only if a suitable animal health assurance system in organic farms is implemented in general, the udder health of organic cows and in consequence the quality of organic milk leads to a well accepted status in contrary to the situation.

Project aims:

• To analyse the main factors influencing udder health in organic dairy farms
• To evaluate the efficacy of complementary mastitis treatments
• To establish an intervention framework for farmers, vets and advisors in organic dairy farms

Methodology:

• epidemiological factor analysis
• clinical trials (placebo controlled random trials)

European Union, 6th Research Framework Programme

• Granarolo, Bologna, Italy
• Louis Bolk Institute, Driebergen, The Netherlands

• Klocke Peter (Department of Livestock Sciences)

Work package leader

orgprints.org/6269/

• Animal Health (Department of Livestock Sciences, FiBL Switzerland)