Bestandesbetreuung und antibiotikafreies Tiergesundheitsmanagement in der Schweiz

Definition of the problem

The objective of the project is the implementation of on-farm-measures to reduce the usage of antibiotics in mastitis control drastically. A project team of 5 veterinarians and 2 agronomists will collect data of mastitis causing factors on 100 new farms per year in Switzerland: housing, feeding, human-cow-interaction, milking technology, milking hygiene. These data will be connected to the mastitis status of the herd based on quarter milk samples and milk recording dates. During a period of at least 2, years these farms will be intensively advised by the project team and the practical veterinarian. Therapies will primarily based on homeopathic remedies. The development of mastitis causing factors and the mastitis status of the farms is followed up at regular intervals to show possible correlations between (changing) factors and mastitis status. In addition, an Internet based network of health data should be implemented for providing informations for farmers and veterinarians in herd health management.

Project aims

• To gather, store and analyse all relevant information in the context of udder health and it’s control in organic farms
• To implement an extension service for dairy farmers to minimize mastitis treatment frequence
• To reduce antibiotics in dairy farming
• To give recommendations for herd health management especially under organic conditions
• To regard economic and ecologic aspects in milk production

Methodology

Observational longitudinal study; extension project

• Notz Christophe (Département vulgarisation, formation & communication)

• Maeschli Ariane (Département des sciences animales)

• Conseil & formation (Département vulgarisation, formation & communication, FiBL Suisse)
• Santé animale (Département des sciences animales, FiBL Suisse)