Veterinary herd health management programs on dairy farms in the Netherlands: Use, execution, and relations to farmer characteristics

Abstract

Veterinary herd health management (VHHM) programs are of growing importance to the dairy industry; they support farmers in the shift from curative to preventive health management, caused by increased herd sizes and quality standards in dairy farming. Farmers participating in VHHM are visited every 4 to 6 wk by their veterinarian, who checks the animals and herd management to intervene in a proactive way with problems regarding animal health and animal welfare. At present, no good overview exists of how VHHM is executed on Dutch dairy farms, and whether different farmers require different types of VHHM. Aims of this study were to (1) map out how many farmers participate in VHHM, (2) describe how VHHM is executed on the farms, and (3) see whether certain farmer characteristics are related to farmers' participation in VHHM. In 2011, a questionnaire was sent to 5,000 Dutch dairy farmers per e-mail. Part 1 of the questionnaire focused on participation in and execution of VHHM and part 2 focused on farmer characteristics regarding external information. Returned questionnaires (n=1,013) were summarized and statistically analyzed. In this study 68.6% of the responding farmers participated in any form of VHHM. The most important activities were fertility checks and advice about fertility; the least important were housing and claw health. Relationships between farmer characteristics (use of and trust in information) and participation in VHHM were found.

Associations between farmer participation in veterinary herd health management programs and farm performance

“…Overall milk production and milk quality appeared to be better in farms of VHHM participants. This is in line with previous research (Derks et al, 2013). Longevity and fertility of the herd appeared to be worse.…”

“…It is, however, important to remember that the success of VHHM is, at least partly, dependent on the relationship and cooperation between farmer and veterinarian. Previous research has shown that the relationship farmers have with their veterinarian is a significant predictor for participation in VHHM (Derks et al, 2013). Also, veterinarians are not always aware of the goals the farmer wants to reach (Kristensen and Enevoldsen, 2008;Derks et al, 2012b;Hall and Wapenaar, 2012), although knowledge of the farmer's goals is important for compliance to veterinary advice (Sorge et al, 2010).…”

“…Fertility is perceived by farmers as the most important topic of VHHM (Derks et al, 2013). Farmers who experience problems with fertility might be more willing to join VHHM.…”

“…Farmers participating in VHHM were divided into 3 levels of participation: level-1 participants had their veterinarian only check the cows for pregnancy, level-2 participants also discussed milk production, fertility, udder health, and (or) farm performance parameters, and level-3 participants discussed at least 1 of the topics of group 2 together with nutrition, young stock rearing, claw health, and (or) housing. The classification was based on previous findings from the same questionnaire that showed that farmers discussing nutrition, young stock rearing, claw health, and (or) housing with their veterinarian, also discussed milk production, fertility, udder health, and (or) farm performance parameters (Derks et al, 2013). The relationship between farm performance and level of participation in VHHM was determined with a linear mixed model.…”

Farmers’ willingness to invest in livestock disease control: the case of voluntary vaccination against bluetongue

“…This finding is in line with previous research showing that the veterinarian is being perceived as a highly trusted and influential referent in herd health management (e.g. Ellis-Iversen et al, 2010;Kristensen and Jakobsen, 2011;Lam et al, 2011;Derks et al, 2013;Fisher, 2013). This suggests that for future BT alike vaccination strategies, the social interactions between veterinarians and farmers might be an appropriate communication channel to use.…”