Evaluation of 'In-Parlour Scoring' (IPS) to Detect Lameness in Dairy Cows during Milking.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of 'In-Parlour Scoring' (IPS) as an alternative to locomotion scoring in herringbone, side-by-side, and tandem milking parlours in Austria. Between January and May 2023, a total of 990 observations were conducted on 495 cows across eleven Austrian dairy farms by two investigators working simultaneously but independently of each other. The observation criteria included shifting weight, claw conformation, and obvious disorders of the distal limb.

Mastitis has a cumulative and lasting effect on milk yield and lactose content in dairy cows.

Milk lactose content (LC) physiologically decreases with parity order in dairy cows, but also after udder health inflammation(s) and in presence of elevated milk SCC in subclinical cases. Therefore, the progressive decrease in milk LC observed along cows' productive life can be attributed to a combination of factors that altogether impair the epithelial integrity, resulting in weaker tight junctions, e.g.

Benchmarking claw health across three dairy cow breeds in 508 dairy farms using numerical claw health indicators.

Currently, prevalence and incidence of claw lesions are used as parameters for benchmarking claw health. The aims of this study were to create a benchmarking system for claw health utilizing the claw health indicators Farm-Claw-Score (FCS) for the herd and Cow-Claw-Score (CCS) for the individual animal, and to benchmark claw health of the three predominant dairy cattle breeds in Austria. Claw health data from 17,642 cows from 508 Austrian dairy farms were analyzed.

Low public awareness opens up new opportunities for highlighting milk as an iodine dietary source.

This international survey provides insights into public awareness of the importance of iodine as an essential trace mineral in human health along with knowledge of iodine dietary sources. The online questionnaire included sociodemographic aspects and dietary iodine consumer awareness on 7-point Likert-type questions. A total of 4,704 questionnaires from 16 countries were considered.