Dairy farmers' intention to use calf management technologies in four European countries: A QCA and PLS-SEM approach.

Whilst livestock management technologies may help to improve productivity, economic performance, and animal welfare on farms, there has been low uptake of technologies across farming systems and countries. This study aimed to understand dairy farmers' intention to use calf management technologies by combining partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). We evaluated the hypotheses that dairy farmers will intend to use calf technologies if they have sufficient competencies, sufficient materials, and positive meanings (e.

Bluetongue virus serotype 12 in sheep and cattle in the Netherlands in 2024 - A BTV serotype reported in Europe for the first time.

Bluetongue (BT) is a viral vector borne disease primarily affecting ruminants such as sheep, cattle, and goats. On 3 September 2023, the Netherlands reported the first case of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3/NET2023)), after being BTV free for eleven years. Vaccination with inactivated BT vaccines for serotype 3 has been applied in the Netherlands since May 2024.

Residues of dry cow antimicrobials in colostrum and extended-spectrum and AmpC β-lactamaseproducing Escherichia coli in feces from young dairy calves.

The duration of excretion of dry cow antimicrobials is hard to predict and therefore the level of antimicrobial residues in colostrum can differ considerably between cows. The feeding of colostrum with antimicrobial residues to newborn calves may lead to antimicrobial resistance in calves. The aim of this study was to quantify the prevalence and residue level of dry cow antimicrobials in colostrum from dairy cows.

Dutch BVDV Control Program - Evaluation 2018 - 2023.

Since 2018, Dutch dairy farmers are obliged to opt for one of 4 routes to achieve BVDV freedom in the national BVDV eradication program. This observational study evaluated efficacy of the total BVDV program using indicators such as number of persistent infected cattle (PI's), percentage of dairy herds with a BVDV-free status, percentage of BVDV-free dairy herds with evidence of introduction of BVDV and, as well as a cost calculation per route. The Dutch BVDV program appeared to be successful as the percentage of BVDV-free dairy herds increased from 59 percent at the start of the program to 89 percent by the end of 2023.

The use of scenario tree models in support of animal health surveillance: A scoping review.

Background: Scenario tree modelling is a well-known method used to evaluate the confidence of freedom from infection or to assess the sensitivity of a surveillance system in detecting an infection at a certain design prevalence. It facilitates the use of data from various sources and the inclusion of risk factors into calculations, while still obtaining quantitative estimates of surveillance sensitivity and probability of freedom.

Objectives: We conducted a scoping review to identify scenario tree models (STMs) applied to assess freedom from infection in veterinary medicine, characterize their use, parameterisation, reporting and potential limitations.