creators_name: Roderick, Stephen
creators_name: Hovi, Malla
type: report
datestamp: 2006-04-05
lastmod: 2009-08-20 14:29:22
metadata_visibility: show
title: Organic Livestock: Animal Health, Welfare and Husbandry Assessment of existing knowledge and production of an advisory resource compendium(OF0162)
ispublished: pub
subjects: 6values
subjects: 5transfer
subjects: 7animalhealth
full_text_status: public
keywords: livestock health, livestock welfare, livestock diseases, knowledge transfer, veterinary treatments, livestock husbandry, livestock production, Internet, Standards, training tools, 
abstract: 1.	A compendium of animal health and welfare information relevant to organic livestock production has been produced by the Organic Livestock Research Group (OLRG), Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Research Unit (VEERU), Department of Agriculture, the University of Reading. The compendium is supported by full scientific abstracts taken from the CAB International information database.

2.	The objective of the project was to:
-	Create a database and archive of information on animal health, welfare and husbandry relevant to livestock production under organic standards;
-	Assess the database and its relevance to organic livestock production;
-	Develop a series of compendia of advisory resource materials on CD-ROM and in printed format, in consultation with relevant sector bodies, the veterinary profession and organic livestock producers.  

3.	The compendium has been produced in a CD ROM format and is internet accessible (http://www.organic-vet.reading.ac.uk/). The compendium has been reviewed by specialist veterinarians, advisors and farmers. For copyright purposes, the internet accessible version has been produced without scientific abstracts

4.	The aim of the compendia is to serve as a resource material for advisors, inspectors and veterinarians who work with organic or converting farmers in the UK. It is also envisaged that the compendia could be used as a training tool for advisors and veterinarians learning about the issues related to general and specific animal health and welfare aspects of organic livestock production. In addition, the material will provide a useful resource material for the sector bodies and policymakers in the development of organic livestock production standards and regulations.

5.	Each compendium is divided into four sub-compendia: Cattle, Sheep, Pigs and Poultry. Each is further divided into two sections. An introductory section, Health and Welfare, outlines general health and welfare issues related to the specific organic production system. Emphasis is placed on the requirements of organic standards in the approach to health and welfare problems. A second section, accessible via the Disease Index, deals in detail with the specific conditions affecting the species in question. Each disease is indexed alphabetically, and by the veterinary and common terms normally applied.

6.	The Disease Section describes a range of specific condition is divided further into sub-sections on causes, symptoms, treatment, control, prevention, welfare implications, good practice based on current knowledge and guidelines for the conversion period. The poultry compendium does not contain a sub-section on the conversion period as there is little technical information available to support this. 

7.	In total, the compendium covers 45 cattle, 44 sheep, 32 poultry and 27 pig diseases and conditions. 

8.	Each section is supported throughout by references to scientific literature and other publications. These references can be accessed directly from the text by using text links to scientific abstracts, scanned-in advisory materials and reference or reading lists. 

9.	The compendium has Help and Search facilities.

10.	At the time of publication. the compendium contains over 1700 scientific references and more than 50 full advisory documents. It is intended that this particular feature of the compendia will prove useful when in-depth information is sought, or the compendia are used as a training tool.

11.	It should be emphasised that the compendium is not intended as a diagnostic or self-help tool for animal health management on the farm. For this reason, diagnostics are not covered in any depth, and the treatment sections usually only suggest potential treatment categories and discuss the urgency and need for treatment from an animal welfare perspective. The authors wish it to be known that diagnosis should always be carried out by a veterinary surgeon, in response to problems seen on a farm.

12.	The compendium have been reviewed by members of the advisory team at the Organic Advisory Service on Elm Farm Research Centre in Berkshire, by specialist veterinarians and by organic farmers.

13.	In light of the rapid developments within organic farming and research, it is proposed that the information contained within the compendium will require frequent updating, probably on an annual basis. A proposal for the maintenance and expansion of the compendium has been included within the final proposal. The main component of this proposal is the development of a “stakeholder club” of interested parties, whose function would be to raise financial support, to supply technical information and to provide a practical link to the organic farming, advisory and administrative sectors. 
date: 2001
date_type: published
institution: University of Reading
department: Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Research Unit (VEERU)
refereed: never
referencetext: Cross, R. F. (1978): Influence of environmental factors on transmission of ovine contagious foot rot. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 173: 12, 1567-1568.
Cross, R. F. Parker, C. F. (1981): Zinc sulfate foot bath for control of ovine foot rot. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 178: 7, 706-707.
Elliot, M. Pinkus, T. (1993): Homoeopathy, The Shepherd's Guide. Ainsworths Homoeopathic Pharmacy. London.
Emery, D. L. Stewart, D. J. Clark, B. L. (1984): The comparative susceptibility of five breeds of sheep to foot rot.  Australian Veterinary Journal 61: 3, 85-88.
Grogono-Thomas, R. Wilsmore, A. J. Simon, A. J. Izzard, K. A. (1994): The use of long-acting oxytetracycline for the treatment of ovine foot rot.  British Veterinary Journal 150: 6, 561-568.
Harding, R. B. Joby, R. Maidment, J. T. Pugh, K. E. (1981): Efficacy of a new oxytetracycline aerosol against foot rot in sheep. Veterinary Record 109: 5, 95-96
Harwood, D. G. Cattell, J. H. (1997): Virulent foot rot in sheep.  Veterinary Record 141: 3, 83.
Harwood, D. G. Cattell, J. H. Lewis, C. J. Naylor, R. (1997): Virulent foot rot in sheep.  Veterinary Record 140: 26, 687.
Henderson, D. C. (1990): The veterinary book for sheep farmers. Farming Press Books, Ipswich, UK.
Hofstad, T. (1992): The genus Fusobacterium. In: The Prokaryotes. A handbook on the biology of bacteria: ecophysiology, isolation, identification, applications. Volume IV. Ed. A. Balows, H.G. Truper, M. Dworkin, W. Harder, K.H. Schleifer. pp. 4114-4126. Springer-Verlag New York Inc, USA. 
Ley, S. J. Livingston, A. Waterman, A. E. (1988): Changes in plasma cortisol. Catecholamines and pain thresholds in sheep with a chronically painful clinical condition.  British Journal of Pharmacology 94: Proceedings Suppl, 369P.
Ley, S. J. Livingston, A. Waterman, A. E. (1991): Effects of chronic lameness on the concentrations of cortisol, prolactin and vasopressin in the plasma of sheep.  Veterinary Record 129: 3, 45-47.
Ley, S. J. Livingston, A. Waterman, A. E. (1992): Effects of clinically occurring chronic lameness in sheep on the concentrations of plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline. Research in Veterinary Science 53: 1, 122-125.
Parajuli, B. Goddard, P. J. (1989): A comparison of the efficacy of footbaths containing formalin or zinc sulphate in treating ovine foot-rot under field conditions.  British Veterinary Journal 145: 5, 467-472.
Patterson, R. G. Patterson, H. M. (1989): A practical approach to breeding foot rot resistant Merinos. Review.  Journal of the New Zealand Mountain Lands Institute 46, 64-75
Raadsma, H. W. Egerton, J. R. Outteridge, P. M. Nicholas, F. W. Brown, S. C. Litchfield, A. M. (1990): An investigation into genetic aspects of resistance to foot rot in Merino sheep.  Wool Technology & Sheep Breeding 38: 1, 7-12.
Salman, M. D. Dargatz, D. A. Kimberling, C. V. Ellis, R. P. (1988): An economic evaluation of various treatments for contagious foot rot in sheep, using decision analysis. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 193: 2, 195-204.
Scott K. and Henderson D.C. (1991): Foot rot and Foot Conditions. In: Diseases of Sheep.  2nd edition. Ed.W. B. Martin and I. D. Aitken. pp. 201-209. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
Skerman, T. M. Moorhouse, S. R. (1987): Broomfield Corriedales: a strain of sheep selectively bred for resistance to foot rot.  New Zealand Veterinary Journal 35: 7, 101-106.
Skerman, T. M. Johnson, D. L. Kane, D. W. Clarke, J. N. (1988): Clinical foot scald and foot rot in a New Zealand Romney flock: phenotypic and genetic parameters.  Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 39: 5, 907-916.
The Veterinary Formulary (1998): 4th edition. Ed. Y. Bishop. Pharmaceutical Press, London. UKROFS (1997): UKROFS Standards for Organic Food Production. UK Register of Organic Food Standards.  Room 320C C/O MAFF, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR
Whittington, R. J. (1995): Observations on the indirect transmission of virulent ovine foot rot in sheep yards and its spread in sheep on unimproved pasture.  Australian Veterinary Journal 72: 4, 132-134.
Winter, A. (1997): Virulent foot rot in sheep.  Veterinary Record 141: 1, 27.
Winter, A. (1998): Lameness in Sheep. The Moredun Foundation News Sheet Vol. 3, No. 1.
citation: Roderick, Stephen and Hovi, Malla (2001) Organic Livestock: Animal Health, Welfare and Husbandry Assessment of existing knowledge and production of an advisory resource compendium(OF0162).
document_url: http://orgprints.org/6663/1/OF0162_1850_FRP.pdf