| The overall aim is to improve animal health and welfare through breeding and management in organic dairy milk production with special emphasis on udder and metabolic health. Focusing on measures feasible for breeding and management, we combine improved farm management with long term genetic improvements. Specifically, the following main hypotheses are investigated:
Breeding strategies for organic dairy production in Europe can be enhanced by taking into account characteristics of commercial and local/native breeds and their ability to adapt to local environments including grazing and low concentrate feeding. Using genomic selection and crossbreeding of local/native and commercial breeds are important aspects of future organic dairy cow breeding.
Identification of risk factors for stress and udder infections and systematic use of drying off quarters with mild mastitis will contribute to efficient preventive and handling strategies, improving udder health and reducing medication in organic dairy herds without negative effects on animal welfare.
Pasture based feeding strategies may lower metabolic disease and mastitis risks. This effect can be increased by utilizing information concerning individual cow activity.
Good animal health is a cornerstone of organic livestock production with vital importance for
productivity and economy as well as for animal welfare and antibiotic resistance risk in
human and veterinary medicine. Organic cattle milk production is the largest and by far the
economically most important organic livestock production in Europe. Focusing on dairy cow
health through a combined improvement of management and breeding provides a unique
opportunity for improving societal trust in organic milk by maintenance of good health and
welfare in systems with relatively low concentrate and medication use and high levels of
grazing. Simultaneously this will help to improve productivity and cost efficiency. The
overall aim of the project is to improve udder and metabolic health in organic cattle milk
production through breeding and management. Research questions are specified which will
contribute to immediate improvements of animal health and welfare through optimized farm
management as well as long-term improvements through breeding including optimal use of
local/native genetic resources. Commercial and local breed health characteristics and
information on production environments are used to enhance sustainability of breeding
strategies for organic dairy production in Europe, including genomic selection and
crossbreeding of local/native and commercial breeds. Risk factors for stress and udder
infections and alternatives to antibiotic treatment are identified as well as other risk factors for
mastitis and metabolic diseases in pasture based organic dairy farms. This will contribute to
efficient preventive management and handling strategies and thereby to improved udder and
metabolic health and reduced use of medication in organic dairy herds without negative
effects on animal welfare.
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