Indicators for animal health on agroecological dairy farms in mountain areas

Agroecological grassland-based dairy systems represent a way to improve the sustainability of livestock farming, while meeting the increasing food needs of the world population. Agroecology aims to improve the interactions between plants, animals, humans, environment, enhancing their overall health. However, knowledge about animal health in agroecology is scarce. This research provides a list of indicators to assess animal health, basing on two reference protocols: Herd Medicine of Dairy Farms and Welfare Quality. 11 agroecological grassland-based dairy cow farms in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (France) were monitored for two years, conducting four on-site samplings on different domains of animal health: nutrition, housing, individual health, herd health, behaviour, production, reproduction. A Principal Component Analysis was computed on animal health measurements, selecting seven indicators: Body Condition Score, Cleanliness, Integument Alterations, Veterinary Interventions, Qualitative Behaviour Assessment, Somatic Cell Count, Calving Interval. The eleven farms achieved good scores for all the indicators, especially concerning BCS, Integument Alterations, and Cleanliness. Calving Interval and SCC scores were similar to findings from other studies. No previous references were found for Veterinary Interventions and QBA. A second PCA was computed integrating the seven indicators with illustrative variables concerning farm management. It emerged that bigger farms, having higher Utilised Agricultural Area and lactating cows, experienced higher milk production and greater utilisation of concentrate feed. These farms adopted a shorter calving interval, lower veterinary interventions and were characterised by lower scores of correct BCS. Future implications of the study would concern its enlargement to a wider sample of farms, and to different geographical areas.