Implementation of animal health plans in organic sow herds

Dietze, Klaas; Werner, Christina und Sundrum, Albert (2008) Umsetzung eines Tiergesundheitsplanes unter Berücksichtigung sozio-ökonomischer Gesichtspunkte auf ökologisch wirtschaftenden Ferkelerzeugerbetrieben. [Implementation of animal health plans in organic sow herds.] Fachbereich Ökologische Agrarwissenschaften, Universität Kassel, Fachgebiet Tierernährung und Tiergesundheit.

Aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of measures being part of animal health plans on organic sow farms in relation to the improvement of hygiene management and animal health care.

A weak-point analysis was performed on 17 organic sow farms using a modified critical control point concept for on farm assessment and detailed status quo analysis. Results showed that only 12 farms performed electronic livestock data acquisition. Housing conditions of 10 farms were based on derogations of the EC-Regulation. Quality and intervals of cleaning and disinfection measures varied considerable between farms. Deworming was routinely performed by 16 farms, however, without verifying the effectiveness. On many farms the feeding regime did not met a demand-conform ration, especially for lactating sows.
Optimisation strategies were set up in form of farm-customized animal health plans according to the status quo. Farms were attended continuously during the entire project time to ensure guidance during animal health plan implementation. At the end of the project only half of the participating farms implemented over 50% of the short term measures from their health plans. 14 farms could improve at least partially their livestock data acquisition, hygiene and feeding management as well as the parasite control.

The results emphasize that most organic farms need to improve their animal health management. Animal health plans have proven to support identifying problem areas and to set up improvement strategies. However, the present animal health deficits can not be enhanced only by advisory measures. As a consequence it is to reason that without well defined health related target-settings a sustainable improvement is not to be expected.

• Animal Health Plan
• ecological piglet production
• Vulnerability analysis

 12/05- 11/07

• Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Project No. 05 OE 019

• Institute for Organic Agriculture (OEL), FAL Trenthorst 

• University of Göttingen, Research and Study Center for Improvement Economics (FOSVWE), Working Group Animal Husbandry and Ecotoxicology

• Bioland Consulting GmbH 

• The organic consultants 

• Hessian State Laboratory Gießen

• Final report on Organic Eprints