Cattle
Purchase assistant
The overall aim of the cattle group is to develop tools which can support farmers and veterinarians in their decision-making on farm to prevent and control respiratory and intestinal diseases in calves (bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD)). The working titles of the tools are (1) early warning tool, (2) purchase assistant, (3) intervention rankers, and (4) barometer, though some are closely related and could be connected in the future.
Objectives
The aim is to help farmers purchasing cattle to estimate the risk of introducing respiratory/intestinal pathogens (in concrete Salmonella Dublin, Mycoplasma bovis, Streptococcus agalactiae) into the herd and to prevent pathogens from spreading.
Methods
We started developing a tool in collaboration with the Board of Agriculture Sweden using data from the national surveillance program for Salmonella spp. We are now adapting this tool to the needs of dairy farmers and veterinarians at Växa, the main dairy farmer association in Sweden. With an emphasis on Salmonella dublin and Mycoplasma bovis, an app (R Shiny) will show the risk of introducing these pathogens based on quarterly laboratory data, number of purchases, and the year. There will be open access for all farmers and a login section for more specific information for seller/buyers/traders. The aim is also to have a faciliatory list where farmers can be matched with similar health status. Regular meetings with the stakeholders will help finetuning this tool to the needs of the end-users.