Dairy herd health management: an overview

Description

The importance of ensuring animal welfare and food security, of combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and of increasing food production, all contribute to the need for preventative medicine. Herd health management (HHM) involves the delivery of a more coordinated approach, where management interventions are prioritized and the veterinary surgeon acts as a central hub for the farm team. This chapter reviews the development of the HHM strategy and the reasons for implementing it in dairy herds. This chapter also discusses the three key stages of measurement, monitoring and management, before emphasizing the potential benefits of the system.

Table of contents

1 Introduction 2 The development of HHM 3 Motivation for implementing HHM 4 Measuring: data for HHM 5 Monitoring: approaches to monitoring in HHM 6 Managing: delivering progress in HHM through planning, training and support for schemes 7 The potential benefi ts of HHM 8 Conclusions 9 Where to look for further information 10 References