Animal health

Animal wellbeing essential

By Ash Keown

Around the world people are becoming more curious about the quality of life experienced by the animals supplying their food. Fonterra’s own research has identified “care of animals” as a key interest for customers and consumers across our major markets.

Historically we’ve been able to rely on the high standards of animal care displayed by our farmers and the “naturalness” of our farming systems to prove that our animals have a good quality of life. But as science reveals more about what animals need in order to have positive experiences, the people who buy our products want to see evidence that the various needs of our New Zealand dairy cows and calves are met.

The way we farm in NZ naturally provides lots of positive experiences for our animals, and we want to celebrate this. To help our farmers, the wider primary sector, our customers and consumers feel proud to talk about the ways we care for our dairy cattle, Fonterra is now using the term “animal wellbeing”.

Animal wellbeing is important in all of the markets where we operate, but not always for the same reasons.

Some customers and consumers are interested in how animals are treated and cared for while others focus on the human benefits, with the theory that contented cows produce healthy, or healthier, milk.

Regardless of the reasons, the way we farm and care for our animals represents a huge opportunity. The NZ brand is strong, and we know that customers and consumers value our sustainability and provenance credentials, with many prepared to pay a premium for the products we make.

In Europe and the United Kingdom, people love their dairy. They are discerning consumers who are more and more interested in animal wellbeing. A recent animal wellbeing labelling study showed that 50% of EU consumers wanted to know more about animal wellbeing for the product they are buying, while in the UK at least a third of people are willing to pay more for products that have verified animal wellbeing credentials.

While the recent free trade agreement with the European Union didn’t deliver as much as NZ exporters were hoping for, the earlier deal struck with the UK contained a very interesting feature – a whole chapter dedicated to animal welfare.

Having animal wellbeing specifically discussed in trade negotiations provides a huge opportunity for NZ to showcase our great standards of animal care to an international audience, standards that are endorsed by independent organisations. Giving evidence to Westminster’s International Agreements Committee recently, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stated: “New Zealand is the only country with whom the UK is negotiating a free trade agreement where there is broad equivalence on animal welfare standards. In some areas, New Zealand’s farm standards are above the UK’s.”

So how else do we prove to customers and consumers that animal wellbeing is at the forefront of what we produce?

Part of it is educating people about our farming system and how it naturally supports good animal wellbeing. We have a great climate, meaning our cows spend nearly all their time out on pasture, and we don’t rely on grain feeding. Our cows can choose where and what they eat, are free to roam, and have plenty of opportunity to interact with each other and form social bonds.

We use the Five Domains model as a framework to help us measure and understand animal wellbeing. The Five Domains recognise that both positive and negative experiences in each of the four physical domains (nutrition, environment, health, behaviour) contribute to the overall experience each animal has – the fifth domain called “mental state”.

We’re doing our best to engage with vets, farmers, and our own people within Fonterra to talk about how we can create, recognise, and celebrate positive outcomes across all the Five Domains to achieve good wellbeing for all our animals.

The Co-operative Difference is one mechanism we’ve got to do this – by asking farmers to work closely with their vet to develop and implement an Animal Wellbeing Plan that addresses all four physical domains and strives to create an overall state of wellbeing for our cows. n

Fonterra Vet technical manager Ash Keown says animal wellbeing is important to consumers around the world who want to know if the animals who produce their food enjoy a good quality of life.

Who am I?

Help your vet help you

By Samantha Tennent

The veterinary sector has been under the pump since long before the pandemic took hold, but now the pressure is mounting. There are high levels of under-resourcing nationwide, with the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) estimating a deficit of about 123 veterinarians.

The sector relies heavily on overseas vets working here but since the pandemic there have been fewer coming to New Zealand,. There has been a slow increase since the borders reopened, however, and recent changes to immigration rules should help make the process easier.

Though there are a number of actions being taken to alleviate some of the pressure, the problem will be around for a while. So what can you do to help reduce the impacts being felt in your farming business?

Be proactive

Preventative healthcare is a good investment. It often leads to better productivity and easier management. But it also means the vet clinic can utilise its wider team as much of the preventative care can be performed by technicians.

And using a proactive system, such as WelFarm, allows your vet to cater the support your farm needs uniquely to you. If they can identify where your opportunities are and work with you in a targeted fashion it is more efficient and helps drive better outcomes.

It’s also a great experience for both you and your vet team, to deal with healthy animals and keep them healthy rather than needing the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

But if you do need the ambulance, contact the vet clinic early, give them warning and allow them time to triage and prioritise accordingly.

Be organised for appointments and accept unexpected delays but also try not to create them yourself by adding extra things while they are on farm. Always ring in advance if you have more than you originally booked the visit for. It helps reduce the flow-on effect across the rest of their day.

Be open

Supply chain disruptions are being felt everywhere and products you are familiar with may be harder to access. Trust your vet if they recommend a different product and be open to giving it a go.

And just as farmers often find it hard to fit in meal breaks, vets will often go from visit to visit without managing to fuel themselves. Offering a cuppa at the shed can be a helpful gesture and if you can offer to help them clean their gear while they are finishing, sometimes it will make a big difference to their day.

They have a lot going on in their head and often the mental to-do list can get hazy. Sometimes you may need to give them a gentle reminder of something they have forgotten, but do appreciate how stretched their time can be.

The pinch is being felt everywhere but there are opportunities to help each other and try to prevent the bottleneck. The key is communication. Ask your vet what you can do to help them help you and look after that relationship for better outcomes all round. n

A shortage of vets nationwide is adding pressure to the sector but there are steps farmers can take to ensure animal welfare is at a high standard to help alleviate this.

Who am I?

Samantha Tennent is the general manager of WelFarm.

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Naturally effective

By Anne Boswell

Farmers using natural plant-based treatments on their herds are getting good results.

Waikato dairy farmer Bruce Bayes is the first to admit that if something’s not broken, he’s hesitant to change it.

However, his use of a range of scientifically researched, plant-based products to treat a number of animal health problems is proof that change can mean significant improvement.

“We’ve been milking cows for 30 years and we were sceptical as hell at the start,” Bayes says.

“But once we saw the effect on the first cows we gave the boluses to we thought, my God, this actually works.”

Bayes and his team of three milk 500 cows south of Cambridge and started using an AHV (Animal Health Vision) mastitis treatment product, Udder Health, in January 2022.

As someone who had followed the traditional process of stripping colostrum cows, performing Rapid Mastitis Tests and treating any “gluggy” cows with antibiotics, Bayes wanted something different – a process that was easier on the herd.

Today, under the AHV system mastitis identification remains the same for Bayes, but once he identifies a gluggy cow he treats her with AHV Udder Health boluses. As the product is 100% natural, there is no milk- or meat-withholding period required.

In mid-September, he had treated 14 cows and three heifers with Udder Health boluses and, with only 26 cows left to calve, no cows had been culled due to mastitis.

“It has been a particularly bad season for mastitis around the country due to the wet weather, but we have had no ongoing problems,” he says.

With a post-calving bulk SCC of 70,000-90,000, Bayes says they take a lot of pride in their low cell count.

“If a product wasn’t working, we wouldn’t use it,” he says.

“We have used a number of AHV products with huge success; some with immediate effect, where we can see results straight away.”

AHV, which was founded in 2014 by Dutch veterinarian Gertjan Streefland, uses the science of quorum sensing – when bacteria choreograph their actions as a group using complex chemical conversations to communicate – to develop animal health solutions.

By using plant-based supplements to interfere with the way bacteria communicate, AHV has created the next generation of health solutions for animals and people – leaving antibiotics as a last resort.

AHV NZ managing director Janneke Van Wagtendonk says unfavourable bacteria are like “hooligans waiting for the police to weaken”.

In an initial infection, bacteria invade the host and form a biofilm, which is a survival strategy for bacteria. The biofilm protects the bacteria inside as it is impenetrable to antibiotics and immune cells.

When the number of bacteria inside the biofilm is high enough, in combination with “sensing” immune suppression of the cow from external stressors, the bacteria break out of the biofilm and infections re-occur.

AHV products work to disrupt the quorum sensing process between bacteria. Through its research, AHV has been able to block bacterial communication and influence their behaviour, such as breaking down the biofilm structure.

AHV offers Udder Health, Energy and Metabolism, Transition, Uterine Health and Calves products, which are administered as boluses in the rumen or a paste in the mouth. The plant extracts enter the bloodstream and reach the site of the infection.

And when animals are healthy, they are expending their energy in milk production rather than fighting infection – meaning increased milk production, for longer.

Bruce Bayes milks 500 cows on his Waikato farm and uses a range of scientifically researched, plant-based products to treat a number of animal health problems in his herd, including mastitis.

Maungatautari farmer James Dallinger, milking 550 cows, is also finding success with AHV products.

Dallinger first came across AHV products in a United States dairy journal, but at that stage they were not available in New Zealand.

His wife had found great success with natural products to treat a skin condition and, after further reading into soil health, quorum sensing and biofilm, Dallinger decided he wanted to try something different with the herd.

He started using AHV products in March 2022 and treated several cows with Udder Health boluses, with success.

“It is a very simple, easy product to use, with no milk-withholding period,” Dallinger says. “When a cow is found to be showing the typical signs of mastitis she now very simply just receives the AHV boluses. Then, once she is clear on the RMT, we are not restricted with milk-withholding days on returning her to the vat. As dairy farmers, I believe in the future we will be scrutinised for our antibiotic use, so see it wise to trial alternative solutions now to help reduce our reliance.”

Dallinger, who has used all of the products in the AHV range, has carried out a couple of product demonstrations on farm with promising results.

“Prior to dryoff we had given cows with medium-range cell count AHV Udder Health boluses instead of using dry cow antibiotic therapy, and so far early indications are looking good,” he says.

“I plan to continue to use these products in the future. I feel as farmers we’re all trying to do our best with the tools and information we have, and this ‘tool’ could be a real game changer.” n

AHV was founded in 2014 by a Dutch veterinarian and uses plant-based supplements. Pictured NZ managing director Janneke van Wagtendonk.

‘‘A NEW WAY TO KEEP MY ANIMALS HEALTHY’’

After Janneke van Wagtendonk, Managing Director for AHV NZ, explained how the AHV udder support solutions work, I bought a bucket of Quick, Extra and Aspi boluses each and used them on cows with deviating milk values. AHV also analyzed my herd test data and we looked at the history of each cow and prioritized what cows to support first.’

The AHV Udder Health Program supports your animal’s natural resistance for production, longevity and development of the herd. I am very happy with the results and that cows can remain in the milking herd after the boluses, which means less hassle and no risk of mistakes to be made by me or my staff.

James Dallinger, Dairy farmer from Maungatautari

QUICK EXTRA ASPI

Fly away

By Ross Nolly

Annoying flies hanging around the sheds and animals are being dealt with in an environmentally friendly way.

FLIES are annoying not just to humans, but cattle as well. People can use their hands to swat them away, but cows can usually only flick their ears and tails to get rid of them, so a form of fly control is needed.

Flies can transmit diseases such as pinkeye and can cause decreased production potential for the herd and lead to stress when there are many flies. Fly and problem insect control has always been something that farmers have had to contend with, but with increased health and safety and environmental awareness, many farmers also want to use a product that is kinder on themselves and the environment.

This is definitely the case for dairy farmer David Child, who manages

Murray Jameson’s 100ha Temple View,

Hamilton farm. It’s a System 5 operation milking 500 cows.

Child hails from Lancashire and completed a UK National Diploma of

Agriculture. Little did he know that it would lead him to a farming career on the other side of the world in New

Zealand. He has now spent more of his life here than in the UK.

The farm practises autumn calving to capitalise on Open Country Dairy’s winter milk premium.

“In the UK they mostly practise yearround calving. It’s much easier here because you deal with calving at one time of the year and get it out of the way.

Autumn is a nice time to calve cows. The weather is warm, and we have very few downed cows,” Child says.

One downside to autumn calving is the number of flies that are still lingering about. Farm owner Jameson likes to try new things and, knowing they had a fly problem during calving, he decided to trial a new fly control product in the market.

Key Industries and its sister company

Renovo Technologies had set out to formulate a fly and problem insect control product that was efficacious but eliminated any “nasties” for both the animal and the applicator.

The result was Redact, which was developed to control flies on cattle and horses, lice and ticks on cattle, and ants, cockroaches, fleas, flies, mosquitoes and spiders in domestic, industrial and public health areas.

“Redact was developed to bring innovation to a traditional product group and to also look at the products from a more sustainable standpoint,” Key Industries general manager Andre Visser says.

Redact is a new-generation waterbased microemulsion formulation containing 200g/L Cypermethrin in the form of an emulsion. Unlike other available Cypermethrin products, the product contains no Xylene and is nonflammable, reducing the risk to users and animals when handling the product. It may be applied through spray races or by hand-spraying.

Made in NZ, it helps NZ businesses reduce their carbon footprint. The container is fully recyclable through Agrecovery.

“Redact differs from other products in the delivery of its chemistry. We’ve gone away from using solvent-based products to administer that chemistry. Redact is a water-concentrate product utilising modern chemistry,” Key Industries key account manager and technical sales representative-ag/hort Warren Wright says.

“It’s kinder on the environment and

Hamilton farmer David Child is the manager on a autumn calving 100ha farm milking 500 cows.

is a naturally derived polymer that encapsulates the product and bonds it to the surface. The product utilizes Zeta particle technology, which has a very minute, micron-sized particle. This gives the product more individual contacts per square metre. The particle is half the usual size, but gives you twice the amount of contact points.”

Key Industries’ mission statement is “Protecting people, crops and native species”. It aims to accomplish this with products that are eco-friendly to the environment, animals and humans.

Redact is most often used for fly control around animal facilities such as the cowshed, calf shed, feed pad, in-shed feeding systems, stables and horse trailers etcetera. It’s safe to spray over animals and keeps flies away from animals and prevents them from being bothered by them.

The polymer is designed to hold the active ingredient and give it residual action and repellence. Wright’s analogy for the differences between using solvent-based products and polymerbased is that it would be similar to going from solvent-based paint to water-based paint.

“Climate change is making flies more prevalent. The soil temperature here in Waikato at the moment is 14°C, and those temperatures seem to be rising. Insects are activated by temperature and they’re becoming an issue earlier in the season and for a longer period,” Wright says.

“Some farmers are also noticing that their traditionally used products are becoming less effective due to a build-up in resistance.”

Child applied the product with a knapsack sprayer to cows and also to the walls and roof in areas where flies tended to congregate, for example the feeder wagon and in the barn where the calves are fed.

“It was also used on the cowshed walls and ceilings, which stopped the cows kicking cups off due to the annoying biting flies which make a home on the rafters and drop onto cows as they come into milk. This led to much smoother and faster milkings,” Child says.

“We use a mister/blower to apply it on the feed pads, which blew it through the entire building. There was a massive reduction of flies in the first 3-4 days and the spray was reapplied after 2-3 weeks.” n

“Climate change is making flies more prevalent. Insects are activated by temperature and they’re becoming an issue earlier in the season and for a longer period.” Warren Wright

The herd and buildings have been sprayed with Redact, which has been developed to be more environmentally friendly to both the animals and user.

Remove flies from the conversation

Safer for YOU kinder on your stock

Redact has been formulated to be extremely efficacious in the control of flies, lice and ticks on cattle and horses. The WC formulation, with Zeta sized particles for more contact and faster uptake, achieves up to 40% less spray drift than comparable EC formulations. Redact contains no Xylene has a lower odour profile and is kinder on equipment and surfaces – making it much safer for not only the treated animals but the applicator and environment as well.