Towards sustainable management of rodents in organic animal husbandry

Abstract

From 26 to 28 May 2004 an international seminar was held in Wageningen, the Netherlands, about current knowledge and advice on rodent management on organic pig and poultry farms in Western Europe. This paper summarizes the discussions. Rodent management is necessary to protect the food production chain from health hazards to livestock and humans. Some organic farmers prefer biological rodent control, but since rodents can also transmit diseases this bears certain risks for the production of healthy livestock and safe food. Effective rodent management requires a thorough understanding of the biology of the pest species concerned. These can be divided into two groups: field rodents, such as voles, and commensal rodents like house mice and rats. The objective of managing field rodents is to minimize livestock exposure to these vectors, and to regulate their populations in case their density is expect-195 NJAS 52-2, 2004 ed to grow dramatically. Infestation of livestock facilities with commensal rodents can be prevented, but once they are present, their eradication must be aimed for. General elements of rodent management are (1) the prevention of rodent infestations through strategic actions such as modifying the habitat or rodent proofing of the buildings, (2) monitoring their appearance and population density, and (3) rodent control measures. A number of possible management actions is described to provide a basis for examining the measures' social acceptability, their economic and environmental impacts, and their efficacy.

Cats and Goat Whey Associated with Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Pigs

“…We could conclude that the number of cats present on farm and feeding pigs goat whey were both positively related to the seroprevalence of T. gondii in pigs. The first relationship did not come as a surprise since earlier studies recognized cats as an important risk factor , Meerburg et al 2004). To our knowledge, however, the second relationship (transfer of toxoplasmosis to pigs through goat whey consumption) has not been previously reported, even though drinking milk has been implicated in the transfer of toxoplasmosis.…”

Leptospira and Rodents in Cambodia: Environmental Determinants of Infection

“…Rat control is difficult and use of chemicals has proven its non-sustainability and potential impacts on human health and domestic animals. 34 The trap barrier system has been recommended for use by rice farmers in several countries in Southeast Asia, 35 where its introduction and adoption led to a significant decrease in threats from rats. Unfortunately, implementing anti-leptospirosis vaccination in lowincome countries such as Cambodia is difficult, and the local variability in serovars complicates development of an accessible vaccine that could be used worldwide.…”

Food safety and environmental quality impose conflicting demands on Central Coast growers

“…Although studies agree that cattle (Hancock et al 1998;Chapman et al 1997) and some commensal wildlife species (associated with humans) are known sources of E. coli O157:H7 (Fenlon 1981;Meerburg et al 2004), most studies on pastoral wildlife (associated with natural environments) do not illustrate a substantial threat to food safety. Studies looking at pastoral small mammals and deer showed minimal prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 (Hancock et al 1998;Sargeant et al 1999;Fischer et al 2001).…”