Status quo der Tiergesundheitssituation in der ökologischen Milchviehhaltung – Mastitis, Lahmheiten, Stoffwechselstörungen

Summary

It was the aim of the present study to assess the health state in German organic dairy farming with regard to mastitis, lameness and metabolic disorders, to investigate possible relationships with the specific housing conditions and/or the use of preventive measures, and to point out chances for further development. The project consisted of a questionnaire study (1.000 farms) and on-farm investigations in a representative sub-sample of 50 farms. In each farm, herd health records from 2001 and 2002 were copied and subsequently evaluated with regard to mastitis and metabolic disorders. Lameness prevalence was recorded using a 5-point locomotion scoring system during the farm visit. Mastitis incidence ranged between 1 and 101 % (mean 33,4 %). The average lameness prevalence was 17,6 % (2 – 53 %) with herds housed in cubicles showing significantly more lameness (19,7 %, 4 – 53 %) than herds on straw yard systems (10,0 %, 2 – 19 %; p<0.01, Mann-Whitney-U). Housing and management factors such as comfort of the lying place had further significant effects on lameness prevalence. The incidence of metabolic disorders showed a high level of variation. Milk fever incidence ranged between 0 and 25 % (mean 5,9 %). Treatments of clinical ketosis (0 – 12 %), acidosis (0 – 11 %) and displacement of the abomasum (0 – 2 %) were less frequent and seemed to be only of relevance on single farms. The present study demonstrates that production diseases such as mastitis, lameness and metabolic disorders play a considerable role in German organic dairy farming.