Search

Biosecurity is a series of management practices designed to prevent the introduction and spread of disease pathogens that can harm or adversely affect livestock, crops, environments, and people. These practices may also help eliminate or control diseases already existing on the premises. The most important biosecurity principles (small ruminant introductions, visitors and staff, vehicles, neighbors, water and feed, control programs, management practices, managing outgoing products, working routines, training, plan and record), best-management practices and biosecurity measures based on literature data, national and international guides, instructions, code of recommendations and checklist are shown on the poster. In addition to the mentioned biosecurity principles, the importance of segregation, cleaning and disinfection is highlighted. Keeping infected animals and contaminated materials away from uninfected animals is the most important and effective part of biosecurity. Cleaning and disinfection of the animal housing facilities, vehicles, and equipment (including boots and clothing) are a very effective way to minimize disease transmission to or between the animals. It is very important to implement biosecurity measures as long-standing and successful practices on farms to keep sheep and goats healthy. These measures should be included in a comprehensive biosecurity plan. A biosecurity plan should address how farmers manage animals, vehicles and human access on the farm, animal health and operations. The most important biosecurity principles should be followed continuously, and in cooperation with veterinarians, farmers enable themselves to play a significant role in keeping the animals and the production as healthy as possible.

The behaviour of calves is a response to stimuli from the environment causing movement, actions and changes in body position, affecting the health and welfare of the animals. We distinguish four categories of physiological behaviour: - Behaviour related to basic needs such as movement, nutrition, rest and sleep. - Exploratory behaviour that enables getting to know the living environment. - Territorial behaviour and protection of safety and social order. - Sexual and parental behaviour for the protection of the genome and the extension of the species. The positive emotional state of animals is manifested through the freedom to express these forms of behaviour and social contact with other individuals, which reduces stress and fear. The goal of the care for animal welfare is to minimize exposure to negative emotions by optimizing these factors. The present study, carried out on two farms with an intensive system of housing and rearing calves up to 30 days of age, showed significant weaknesses and deficiencies in the way calves are kept immediately after birth, up to 7 days of age. Namely, of 9 forms of physiological behaviour, 5 rated 1 or 2. The situation was somewhat better in the age category of calves between 8 and 30 days, where only one form, reproductive behaviour, was absolutely impossible. In order to improve the quality of calf welfare, it is necessary to provide better rearing conditions that would enable the manifestation of basic physiological forms of behaviour.

In this review paper, hygienic procedures before, during and after cow milking are discussed. The procedures for maintaining hygienic udders before and after milking, as well as maintaining the hygiene of milking units are described. The description includes the maintenance of milker's hand hygiene, udder disinfection and udder disinfection after milking. It is pointed out that these milking procedures should be carried out in a clean environment and without any disturbance to cows. In addition, the need to control the implementation of these hygiene measures is emphasized. A proper way of carrying out the hygienic procedures essentially contributes to reduction of the number of microorganisms and the number of somatic cells in milk, the frequency of occurrence of mastitis, which significantly affects quality of milk and health of milking cows., U ovom preglednom radu razmatraju se higijenski postupci pre, za vreme i posle muže krava. Opisani su postupci pre i posle muže, kao i čistoća opreme za mužu. U opis je uključena higijena ruku muzača, dezinfekcija sisa pre muže, suvo pranje, uklanjanje nečistoće, čišćenje ili sušenje sisa, kao i postupci dezinfekcije posle muže. Ističe se da se ovi postupci kod muže treba da odvijaju u čistom okruženju i bez uznemiravanja krava. Pored toga, navodi se i potreba kontrole sprovođenja tih higijenskih postupaka. Pravilan način sprovođenja ovih higijenskih procedura suštinski doprinosi smanjenju broja mikroorganizama i broja somatskih ćelija u mleku, učestalosti pojave mastitisa, što značajno utiče na kvalitet mleka, kao i opšte zdravstveno stanje krava muzara.

The hygienic condition of dairy cows and their udders in 128 small household farms in different regions of Serbia, producing mostly milk, having 5–15 cows, a milk cooler and at least one milking machine, was evaluated by the following indicators: 1. general assessment of body cleanliness, 2. visual inspection of teats and udder base, and 3. maintenance of udder cleanliness, rated on a scale of 0 and 1 or 1 to 5. The samples were taken at each visit to the farm after cooling and tested for milk protein and fat content, somatic cell count (SCC) and the total number of microorganisms (TNM). The milk fat content was determined by the Gerber method, the protein content by the Kjeldahl method, the TNM according to the ISO 4833-1:2013 method and the SCC using Fossomatic TM. The IBM SPSS program was used for statistical data processing. Capacity, housing system, breed, milking system, number of cows, and capacity occupancy mostly had a very significant or significant impact on hygiene parameters, protein and fat content, SCC and TNM in milk. The hygiene parameters showed a continuous trend of improvement in relation to the visits. TNM mean scores increased after each visit, with significant differences between visits (F=9.63, P<0.0001). SCC scores varied very significantly between visits (F=5.17, P<0.0001). The number of visits tended to show a significant influence on the milk fat rate (F=2.221; P<0.1), but no influence on the milk protein rate (P=0.480; F=0.901). Copyright©2023 by authors, all rights reserved.

Periodic outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the countries of the Middle East and Africa pose a serious threat to European countries, especially the countries of the Mediterranean and the Balkan Peninsula. Due to insufficient development of veterinary services, diagnostic capacities, and socioeconomic and political reasons, the disease is endemic. Serbia is on a transit route between the Middle East and Central Europe and is at risk of introducing FMD which is considered the most devastating disease in cattle production. Experience with African swine fever outbreak in Serbia has shown that agent’s transmission through man is very likely, that awareness raising about biosecurity measures at many stockbreeders is a slow process, and that even apparently good biosecurity measures on farms have gaps that allow agents breakthrough in population. As for FMD, the current epidemiological situation in the cattle population in Serbia is stable, the most common diseases detected on farms are BVDV, BRSV and Mycoplasma bovis infections, and sporadic cases of paratuberculosis. In such circumstances, attention to biosecurity measures among farmers and veterinarians is declining. That fact makes farms vulnerable to introducing new infectious agents such as FMD. The main risk factors for possible FMD outbreaks on farms are the proximity of international highways that connect the Middle East and Central Europe in the northern part of Serbia. The lowland geographical area, occasionally windy, allows the FMD virus to spread easily. Many farmers do not cooperate with local veterinarians, rather they prefer to use the services of specialists who visit many farms over long distances. Biosecurity measures on farms are at a very low level or non-existent, while dairy trucks daily entering into farms. The geopolitical migrant crisis and the illegal traffic of migrants across state borders also pose a risk of the introduction of the FMD virus into the country. Taking into account the

In recent years, numerous plans and programs, instructions, recommendations, scientific opinions, analyses, reports, best practices, regulations, codes of practices and assurance schemes have been published in publications which were not published in journals and symposiums proceedings that consider indicators of welfare and stress of the animals on cattle and pig farms intending to improve their health and productivity. These indicators were created mainly as results of research in numerous national and international projects. Mentioned projects consider key indicators and prescribe on-farm assessments of animal welfare and stress in cattle and pig farms. In the assessments of the welfare and stress of the animals in different systems of keeping and accommodation, the need to determine new welfare and stress indicators on cattle and pig farms was observed. The publications about plans and programs, instructions, recommendations, scientific opinions, analysis, reports, best practices, regulations, code of practices and assurance schemes related to animal welfare and stress contain numerous indicators. The analysis of these publications aims to determine the main characteristics of the existing and to generate ideas to define new welfare and stress indicators of the animals on cattle and pig farms.

In recent times, there has been a revived interest in utilizing medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) for the treatment of diseases and enhancing the productivity of farm animals. Thanks to their bioactive compounds, MAPs can enhance the immune system, reduce the risk of disease and improve overall health and welfare. This is especially important in the post-antibiotic era, where the search for alternative options is becoming increasingly urgent. Although the mode of their action is still unclear, today it is known that MAPs can modulate the microbiota and promote gut health, leading to improved digestion and nutrient absorption. Some components of MAPs act against viruses, bacteria and parasites. Additionaly, the use of MAPs in livestock farming can also have environmental benefits. Livestock methane emissions are a significant contributor to greenhouse gas levels. Recent studies have shown that certain bioactive compounds found in MAPs could inhibit methanogenesis and reduce the number of methanogenic microbes in animal gastrointestinal tracts. As a result, researchers are exploring the potential of MAPs in methane reduction strategies. Plants could also play a prominent role in obtaining functional and enriched foods to contribute to animal product quality and human health in general. This review highlights the importance and potential of using medicinal plants in farm animal breeding, particularly in the context of the One Health concept, which acknowledges the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.

In recent years, numerous plans and programs, instructions, recommendations, scientific opinions, analysis, reports, best practices, regulations and other type of publications have been published in publications, other than in journals and symposiums proceedings that consider indicators of biosecurity on cattle and pig farms in order to improve their health and productivity. These indicators were created mainly as results of research in numerous national and international projects, which consider key indicators and prescribe on-farm assessments of biosecurity on cattle and pig farms. In the assessments of the biosecurity level in different systems of rearing and accommodation on cattle and pig farms, the need to determine indicators was observed. The publication about plans and programs, instructions, recommendations, scientific opinions, analysis, reports, best practices and regulations, related to biosecurity level contain numerous indicators. The analysis of these publications aims to determine the main characteristics of the existing and to generate ideas to define new biosecurity indicators of the animals on cattle and pig farms.

The Total Bacterial Count (TBC) and the Somatic Cells Count (SCC) in the milk are important indicators of its hygiene and quality. Hygienic conditions in barns, milking procedures, udder hygiene before, during and after milking, milking machine hygiene, as well as milk cooling procedures immediately after milking, have direct or indirect influences on milk hygiene indicators. Poor results of milk hygiene quality, when it comes to SCC and TBC, which are often seen in dairy cattle farms in our country, indicate numerous omissions before and during milking. To determine the possibility of improving milk hygiene quality, training of extension service professionals and farmers was conducted, corrective and preventive measures were determined and the achieved state was monitored on 128 dairy farms where SCC and TBC were observed at regular monthly intervals for 6 months. The results showed a continuous statistically very significant improvement in hygienic conditions in barns, milking procedures, udder hygiene before, during and after milking, milking machine hygiene, as well as milk cooling procedures. This has contributed to a statistically very significant improvement in the hygienic quality of milk, both in SCC and TBC indicators, continuously from month to month, with a visible improvement at the end related to the beginning of the study period. At the begining and the end of survey 19.7% and 50.0% of milk samples belong to 1st class of milk quality, respectively, indicating a significant improvement after implementation of corrective measurements.

In the last decades, there has been a trend present in the world to increase the size of dairy herds while increasing the yield of milk per head. In addition to environmental and economic benefits, this trend carries certain risks for the welfare of cows because in conditions of increased agglomeration of cattle the possibility of spreading of pathogens is also increased, there are less opportunities for adequate control and cows are exposed to greater selection and production stress. Research of the relationship between herd size and welfare quality parameters is still not sufficient to make relevant conclusions. Starting from that, the aim of this study, conducted in Serbia, is to examine the influence of herd size on parameters related to providing good feeding and housing conditions as important segments of the overall welfare of dairy cows. The assessment of given welfare parameters was done by Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol for Cattle (2009) on 16 dairy farms of different herd sizes (large, medium and small) and housing management. The results indicate that there are significant variations in welfare indicators in each of the observed groups, which is why the size of the herd cannot be taken as a parameter that explicitly determines the quality of welfare. However, individual observation and comparison of welfare parameters between groups indicate that small herds in our production conditions could be identified as the greatest risks to the welfare of cows. In small herds, the highest share of cows of poor (4.62%) and fattened condition (8.76%) was found, as well as the lowest freedom of movement because cows on small farms are mostly reared in a tied system. Average values of indicators: lying down time (6.24s), frequency of collisions with equipment (13.25%) and high dirt contamination of cows (65.6-89.8%) further emphasize the issue of providing comfort in small herds.

The objective was to assess the dairy cows’ welfare quality in relation to the housing system: loose (LHS) vs. tie-stall (THS). A survey was done according to the Welfare Quality® Protocol for Cattle on 16 dairy farms (7 in LHS and 9 in THS) in Serbia. From a total number of 4833 dairy cows (2392 cows in THS and 2441 cows in LHS) 551 cows in THS and 470 cows in LHS have been sampled randomly for clinical scoring (body condition score, health state, and cleanliness). The assessment was based on the evaluation of 29 welfare measures, 12 criteria, and 4 principles that are relevant for determining risks and final categorization of farms into one of four welfare categories: not classified, acceptable, enhanced, and excellent. The results obtained in this study showed that the housing system affected many parameters of cows’ welfare referring to their comfort, health, and behaviour. The high proportion of animals lying outside the lying area (49.5%) and colliding with equipment (16.7%) indicate lack of space and movement restriction as major welfare risks in THS. Consequentially, scores for injuries (AI=45.8 points) and emotional state (ES=43.2 points) were estimated significantly lower than in LHS (58.9 and 60.4 points respectively). LHS has advantages when it comes to freedom of movement, body condition, skin health, and emotional state, but the proportions of cows with dirty lower legs, flank, and upper legs (93.4% and 80.66%) were significantly higher than in THS as well as the frequency of lameness (31.4%). According to the overall assessment, most of the LHS farms (5 of 7) were classified as enhanced, while the majority of THS farms (6 of 9) were acceptable. This study showed that despite the welfare quality parameters were not exceptional in both housing systems, LHS meets the requirements of welfare assurance to a greater extent than THS and therefore should be promoted and widely implemented.

Male piglets are castrated primarily to avoid the unpleasant boar taint in meat, and additionally for the predisposition of castrates to accumulate fat and for their lower risk of developing unwanted behaviours. There are two main strategies available for withdrawing from surgical castration: one is immunocastration and the other is to raise entire male pigs or boars. Additionally, raising intact boars is more profitable because of the production of carcasses with lean meat and better feed conversion. Boars (compared to castrates) exhibit more aggressive, sexual, damaging social behaviour and reduced feeding behaviour with a lower prevalence of sickness behaviour as a result of good health and low susceptibility to chronic inflammation. In this review, the behaviours specific for boars as a result of sexual maturity are reviewed, with an overview of differences in the behaviour of surgically castrated barrows, immunocastrates and boars reared in group-housed systems. The raising of boars allows for good welfare of these animals in early life, but later, on reaching sexual maturity, the welfare of boars can be diminished because of their propensity to aggression and more mounting behaviour than castrates. Innovations in the breeding and management of boars are needed to improve their performance and to reduce welfare implications of these animals raised in social groups, and in particular to minimize deviant behaviours towards pen mates.