Dutch Farms Research Articles

Self-initiated nature conservation by farmers: an analysis of Dutch farming

ABSTRACTIn Europe, the active contribution of farmers to nature conservation is mainly voluntary. Whereas participation in agri-environmental schemes (AES) has been studied in detail, less is known about self-initiated nature conservation. Given the alarming decline in species diversity and abundance in agricultural landscapes, it is important to explore this form of conservation in more detail. In this paper we report on the results of a survey of Dutch dairy and arable farmers. We conclude that a large majority of farmers conduct self-initiated conservation activities on their farmyards and fields with varying ecological impacts and impacts on farming system. Helping birds was the most often mentioned activity. Farm size, on-farm side activities (in dairy farming), organic farming, the quality of the surrounding area and the absence of external constraints have a positive effect on the number of activities. Intensity has a negative effect on both the number of activities and on the probability that farmers conduct activities with substantial ecological impacts. There is no unambiguous evidence of a ‘crowding-out effect’ due to participation in AES. More research in this area can help contributing to a maximal exploitation of the conservation potential by farmers and to creating synergies with agri-environmental policies.

Dynamic target capital structure and speed of adjustment in farm business

Abstract This paper quantifies the determinants and speed of adjustment to the target capital structure for a panel of 1,500 Dutch farms over the years 2001–2015. Using the System General Method of Moments (System-GMM) estimator, the results show that farm profitability, earnings volatility, asset tangibility and growth opportunity are important determinants of leverage. Leverage is highly persistent, i.e. the average adjustment speed is relatively low, with variations among farm types. This variation is mainly attributed to the difference in adjustment costs. Further, we show that the pecking order and signalling theories explain these leverage dynamics.

The Sunggal War 1872-1895: In Search of East Sumatera Local Wisdom

The Sunggal War that occurred from 1872 to 1879 was the first war of the people against Dutch’s colonialism in North Sumatera. This war was started by then Sultan Deli who gave away land concession that belongs to the leaders of Sunggal to the Dutch farming company. This enraged these leaders and started a war listed in colonial archive as “Batak Oorlog”. Historical references of the Sunggal War from Erwiza Erman, Luckman Sinar, Ratna and others are not sufficient enough in addressing local leadership issues in Sunggal in leading the army, as well as how it affects the economy and land owning pattern in East Sumatera which was the primary cause of war. The Sunggal leaders also managed to tie a coalition with the local ethnicity, among them were the Hai, Malay, Aceh and Gayo. As a result, the Dutch were forced to build the Labuhan Deli port to ease their army’s activity in winning the war. In turn, Labuhan Deli had become the main contributor to East Sumatera’s economic growth. The Sunggal War also gave good experience on how to handle land owning issues in the eastern prefecture. This article is a research financed by Research Board USU/BP-PTN 2016. Historical methods were used in the colonial archive in ANRI through economical and conflict approach. The issue is addressed in this article in search for local’s wisdom and orally transmitted knowledge of the Sunggal War, particularly on the traditional leadership and conflict management in Deli, East Sumatera.

Effective thresholds for reporting suspicions and improve early detection of avian influenza outbreaks in layer chickens

The objective of this study was to identify effective reporting thresholds for suspicions of both highly pathogenic (HPAI) and low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) outbreaks in layer farms. Daily mortality and egg-production data from 30 Dutch farms with no record of AI infection were analysed and thresholds set. Mortality rates above or egg-production below these thresholds for two consecutive days would trigger an alarm sign. The following thresholds were identified for mortality: (i) A mortality threshold of 0.08% or 0.13% for layers kept indoors or with free-range access respectively, (ii) a 2.9 times higher mortality than the average weekly mortality of the previous week, and iii) a moving-average threshold that could be implemented for each specific farm. For egg-production: (i) a weekly ratio lower than 0.94 in egg-production drop, and (ii) a moving-average threshold. The accuracy of these thresholds was assessed by quantifying their sensitivity, specificity and time to trigger disease detection using data from 15 infected and 31 non-infected farms. New thresholds were more sensitive and signalled infection two to six days earlier than the presently used thresholds. A high Specificity (97–100%) was obtained by combining mortality and egg production thresholds in a serial approach to trigger an alarm.

A time-series approach for clustering farms based on slaughterhouse health aberration data

A large amount of data is collected routinely in meat inspection in pig slaughterhouses. A time series clustering approach is presented and applied that groups farms based on similar statistical characteristics of meat inspection data over time. A three step characteristic-based clustering approach was used from the idea that the data contain more info than the incidence figures. A stratified subset containing 511,645 pigs was derived as a study set from 3.5 years of meat inspection data. The monthly averages of incidence of pleuritis and of pneumonia of 44 Dutch farms (delivering 5149 batches to 2 pig slaughterhouses) were subjected to 1) derivation of farm level data characteristics 2) factor analysis and 3) clustering into groups of farms. The characteristic-based clustering was able to cluster farms for both lung aberrations. Three groups of data characteristics were informative, describing incidence, time pattern and degree of autocorrelation. The consistency of clustering similar farms was confirmed by repetition of the analysis in a larger dataset. The robustness of the clustering was tested on a substantially extended dataset. This confirmed the earlier results, three data distribution aspects make up the majority of distinction between groups of farms and in these groups (clusters) the majority of the farms was allocated comparable to the earlier allocation (75% and 62% for pleuritis and pneumonia, respectively). The difference between pleuritis and pneumonia in their seasonal dependency was confirmed, supporting the biological relevance of the clustering. Comparison of the identified clusters of statistically comparable farms can be used to detect farm level risk factors causing the health aberrations beyond comparison on disease incidence and trend alone.

Outbreaks of canine distemper in Dutch and Belgian mink farms

Background: Vaccination of farmed minks against canine distemper virus (CDV) has proved to be very effective. In the Netherlands, vaccination of farmed minks against CDV was mandatory until the closure of the local agricultural product boards at the end of 2014.Objectives: To describe the first documented outbreaks of CD in Dutch mink farms since the closure of the agricultural product boards, as well as an outbreak in Belgium, with special attention to genotyping of the isolates.Methods: A full post-mortem was performed on three carcasses per submission from farms A–C and on two carcasses from farm D. Molecular detection with subsequent typing was performed on eleven samples originating from four different farms. To assess genetic diversity partial sequences of the H gene of CDV were compared based on phylogenetic analysis.Results: In 2017, there was a sudden series of CD outbreaks affecting four mink farms in the Netherlands (A–C) and Belgium (D). Gross, histologic and immunohistochemical findings were similar. There was a degree of genetic similarity between the viruses on farms A and D (98.5%) and between the viruses on farms B and C (97.3%), but the viruses from farms A and D belonged to a different clade than the viruses from farms B and C. Higher mortalities were reported in white and pastel minks.Conclusions: Findings indicated that the difference in severity of the outbreaks was partially related to the genetic composition of the farm populations. Vaccination against CDV on Dutch and Belgian mink farms seems warranted.

The Transformation of the Dutch Farm Horse into a Riding Horse: Livestock Breeding, Science, and “Modernization,” 1960s–1980s

This article analyzes the postwar transformation of the Dutch Warmblood farm horse into a riding horse. It gives special attention to the farmers’ practical breeding methods and to the role that scientists and government policymakers played in the transformation process. Until the 1970s, Warmblood breeding methods were a continuation of pre-Mendelian methods that focused on qualitative assessment of a horse’s conformation, that is, its exterior characteristics. In 1980, the Dutch government undertook an effort to modernize Warmblood breeding by turning it into a collectively organized, scientific enterprise. These plans were largely subverted by the fierce opposition of breeders. Nevertheless, quantitative scientific methods, particularly quantitative genetics, started to make inroads into Warmblood breeding at the time. However, the breeders’ decision to switch to quantitative methods was a reaction to other pressures, economic and otherwise, rather than a response to the government’s call for science-based modernization. Moreover, qualitative assessment remained as important in the selection of breeding stock as before.

Improving the Sustainability of Farming Practices through the Use of a Symbiotic Approach for Anaerobic Digestion and Digestate Processing

The dairy sector in the Netherlands aims for a 30% increase in efficiency and 30% carbon dioxide emission reduction compared to the reference year of 1990, and a 20% share of renewable energy, all by the year 2020. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) can play a substantial role in achieving these aims. However, results from this study indicate that the AD system is not fully optimized in combination with farming practices regarding sustainability. Therefore, the Industrial Symbiosis concept, combined with energy and environmental system analysis, Life Cycle Analysis and modeling is used to optimize a farm-scale AD system on four indicators of sustainability (i.e., energy efficiency, carbon footprint, environmental impacts and costs). Implemented in a theoretical case, where a cooperation of farms share biomass feedstocks, a symbiotic AD system can significantly lower external energy consumption by 72 to 92%, carbon footprint by 71 to 91%, environmental impacts by 68 to 89%, and yearly expenditures by 56 to 66% compared to a reference cooperation. The largest reductions and economic gains can be achieved when a surplus of manure is available for upgrading into organic fertilizer to replace fossil fertilizers. Applying the aforementioned symbiotic concept to the Dutch farming sector can help to achieve the stated goals indicated by the Dutch agricultural sector for the year 2020.

Exploring the relationships between landscape complexity, wild bee species richness and reproduction, and pollination services along a complexity gradient in the Netherlands

Pollinator communities exhibit variable responses to changing landscape composition. A general expectation is that a decreasing cover of semi-natural habitats negatively affects pollinator reproduction, population size and pollination services, but few studies have investigated the simultaneous effects of landscape complexity on different aspects of pollinator communities and functioning.In 20 agricultural landscape plots the size of an average Dutch farm, we studied how changing landscape complexity affected wild bee abundance, species richness and reproduction. To measure pollination, we placed potted strawberry plants as phytometers in landscapes. Landscape complexity was characterized as the area of semi-natural habitats. In addition, we estimated floral resource abundance in each landscape plot. We expected that i) bee species richness, reproduction and pollination would be positively related to area of semi-natural habitats and flower abundance, and that ii) species richness and reproduction would be positively related to pollination.An increase in semi-natural habitats in landscapes increased both the abundance of cavity-nesting bees colonizing trap nests, and the growth rates of experimental Bombus terrestris L. colonies, but not the species richness of wild bees measured by pan traps. There was only a tendency for higher pollination levels of strawberry plants with higher cover of semi-natural habitats. There was no relationship between species richness and bee reproduction in a landscape and the pollination services. Estimated flower abundance in landscape had a positive effect on bumblebee colony growth only and not on the other variables.Our results suggest that, by improving habitat quality on their farms through establishing more semi-natural habitats or enhancing the flower availability in semi-natural habitats, farmers can promote reproduction of a number of functionally important bee species and the pollination services they provide. Bee species richness, however, seems to be more difficult to enhance and requires more than just creating more of the same type of habitats or flowers.

Differentiation: old controversies, new insights

There is a long-standing debate about the nature, impact and significance of processes of differentiation in driving agricultural development. This contribution discusses three ways in which such processes have been conceptualized: modernization theories that put markets centre stage, Marxist theories that focus on class, and Chayanovian approaches that highlight the dynamics within farming families. The empirical evidence for testing these concepts is normally derived from agricultural censuses. This paper uses a different database that covers all Dutch farms between 1980 and 2006 and enables us to follow the changes on individual farms. Examination of this data reveals that the actual processes of differentiation that have occurred in this 25-year period differ greatly from the classic conceptualizations. It also challenges the conventional wisdom that agricultural development is mostly driven by larger farms.

Determination and confirmation of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), anti-estrogens and aromatase inhibitors in bovine and porcine urine using UHPLC-MS/MS

ABSTRACTSelective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), anti-estrogens and aromatase inhibitors are prohibited in human sports doping. However, they also present a risk of being used illegally in animal husbandry for fattening purposes. A method was developed and validated using UHPLC-MS/MS for the determination and confirmation of SERMs, anti-estrogens and aromatase inhibiters in bovine and porcine urine. This method was used in a survey of more than 200 bovine and porcine urine samples from Dutch farms. In 18 out of 103 porcine urine samples (17%) and two out of 114 bovine samples (2%) formestane, an aromatase inhibitor, was detected. None of the other compounds was detected. From human doping control it is known that formestane can, in some cases, be of natural origin. Analyses of reference samples from untreated bovine and porcine animals demonstrated the presence of formestane in bovine animals, but not yet in porcine animals. Future research will focus on whether the detected formestane in porcine and bovine urine is from endogenous or exogenous origin, using GC-c-IRMS.

<b>Intensive dairy farming systems from Holland and Brazil: SWOT analyse comparison

Intensive systems of milk production in Brazil and Holland are compared by SWOT analysis. Twenty-one farms, 10 in Wageningen, central region of Holland, and 11 in Castro, central-eastern region of the state of Paraná, Brazil, were sampled. Data were retrieved from semi-structured interviews with the owners or people responsible for dairy activities, using a questionnaire guide and a digital recorder. After results were analysed, a table was elaborated representing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks for each country. Dairy farms in Holland were uniform, or rather, small and medium-sized farms with high production. It has also been observed that Dutch farms have several problems due to high intensification, for example, hoof diseases with great economic loss. In the case of Brazilian dairy farms, several types of systems and degrees were detected. Brazilian production in the region analysed features a higher quantity than that in Holland, with less intensity when compared to that on Dutch farms.

Genotype by environment interaction for production, somatic cell score, workability, and conformation traits in Dutch Holstein-Friesian cows between farms with or without grazing

In this study, genotype by environment interaction was investigated for production traits, somatic cell score (SCS), workability traits, and conformation traits for Holstein-Friesian cows producing on farms with or without grazing in the Netherlands. Additionally, heritabilities and repeatabilities were estimated in both farm systems. Data were available for 1,019 Dutch farms, and farm type was known for those farms, 142 farms without grazing and 877 farms with grazing. The data set consisted of 428,600 test-day records for production from 49,412 cows, and from this data set a subset for SCS was created, consisting of 374,734 test-day records from 45,955 cows. For workability and conformation traits, the data set consisted of 30,180 cows. Bivariate mixed models with multiple fixed effects and random sire and random permanent environment effects were applied. The majority of sires had daughters in both farm types. The heritabilities for milk yield (0.27), fat yield (0.19), and protein yield (0.20) were higher in farms with grazing than in farms without grazing with heritabilities of 0.24 for milk yield, 0.18 for fat yield, and 0.18 for protein yield. Repeatability was lower in the grazing farms for milk yield, fat yield, and protein yield, probably because of alternating quality of dry matter intake during grazing. Genetic correlations between grazing and no grazing were 0.99, 0.98, 0.97, and 1.00 for milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, and SCS, respectively. Genetic correlations for workability traits and conformation traits between grazing and no grazing varied between 0.93 and 1.00. For all traits, genetic correlations were close to unity, indicating no genotype by environment interaction between farms with or without grazing for production traits, SCS, workability traits, and conformation traits in Dutch Holstein-Friesians. Therefore, the same sires can be used for farms both with and without grazing.

Why Danish pig farms have far more land and pigs than Dutch farms? Implications for feed supply, manure recycling and production costs

The Netherlands and Denmark are the two biggest pig meat exporters in Europe, both with a strong focus on the German market. The structure of pig farms is very different: an average Danish pig farm has 3500 pigs, 170ha of agricultural land on which a major part of the feed cereals are grown, whereas a typical Dutch pig farm has 2500 pigs with only 10ha. As a consequence, Dutch pig farmers have to purchase all feedstuff and need to dispose nearly all the manure off-farm. A literature based study revealed that the main factors for the contrasting development were a stronger competition for land, resulting in higher land prices, and stimulation of intensive animal husbandry in the Netherlands, while in Demark environmental policies more strongly coupled manure production to land area. As a result the Dutch pig farmers have focused on intensification of livestock production on small holdings using external sources of feed supply, and Danish farmers on efficient production of feed cereals on large holdings. Due to a gradual lowering of manure and fertiliser application standards, Dutch farmers increasingly have to process manure and export manure, further increasing the total costs of pig production. Manure disposal costs per kg of slaughter weight in 2011 were on average 3.5 times higher in the Netherlands than in Denmark. Manure is exported mainly to Germany and France, which also supply the feed cereals. Therefore manure export contributes to closure of nutrient cycles. Danish pig farmers are less sensitive to nutrient policies and feed prices than those in the Netherlands, but the high debt rate makes the sector vulnerable to low pig prices.

First evidence of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in the Netherlands

Event Abstract Back to Event First evidence of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in the Netherlands Olga Haenen1*, Heike Schuetze2, Michael Cieslak2, Clazien De Vos3, Armin Elbers3, Suyin Oldenburg4, Marcel Spierenburg4, Ineke Roozenburg-Hengst1, Michal Voorbergen-Laarman1, Marc Engelsma1 and Niels Jørgen Olesen5 1 Central Veterinary Institute, part of Wageningen UR, Department of Bacteriology and Epidemiology, Netherlands 2 Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Bundesforschungs Institut für Tiergesundheit, Germany 3 Central Veterinary Institute, part of Wageningen UR, Department of Bacteriology and Epidemiology, Netherlands 4 Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), Netherlands 5 DTU National Veterinary Institute, Section for Virology, Denmark In spring 2008, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) was detected for the first time in the Netherlands. The virus was isolated from rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), from a put-and-take fishery with angling ponds. IHNV is the causative agent of a serious fish disease, infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN). From 2008-2011, we diagnosed eight IHNV infections in rainbow trout originating from six put-and-take fisheries (symptomatic and asymptomatic fish), and four IHNV infections from three rainbow trout farms (of which two were co-infected by Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus, IPNV), at water temperatures between 5 and 15°C. At least one Dutch farm (with both put-and-take fisheries and rainbow trout culture) delivered trout to four of these eight IHNV positive farms. Mortalities related to IHNV were mostly <40%, but increased to nearly 100% in case of IHNV and IPNV co-infection. Subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed that these 12 isolates clustered into two different monophyletic groups within the European IHNV-genogroup E. One of these two groups indicates a virus-introduction event by a German trout import, whereas the second group indicates that IHNV was already (several years) in the Netherlands before its discovery in 2008. Since 2011 no further IHNV infections were detected in the Netherlands. In this poster, details on the first IHNV detections in 2008-2011 in the Netherlands are presented. Keywords: Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, rainbow trout, phylogenetic analysis, The netherlands, Virus introduction Conference: AquaEpi I - 2016, Oslo, Norway, 20 Sep - 22 Sep, 2016. Presentation Type: Poster Topic: Aquatic Animal Epidemiology Citation: Haenen O, Schuetze H, Cieslak M, De Vos C, Elbers A, Oldenburg S, Spierenburg M, Roozenburg-Hengst I, Voorbergen-Laarman M, Engelsma M and Olesen N (2016). First evidence of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) in the Netherlands. Front. Vet. Sci. Conference Abstract: AquaEpi I - 2016. doi: 10.3389/conf.FVETS.2016.02.00020 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 25 May 2016; Published Online: 14 Sep 2016. * Correspondence: Dr. Olga Haenen, Central Veterinary Institute, part of Wageningen UR, Department of Bacteriology and Epidemiology, Lelystad, Netherlands, olga.haenen@wur.nl Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Olga Haenen Heike Schuetze Michael Cieslak Clazien De Vos Armin Elbers Suyin Oldenburg Marcel Spierenburg Ineke Roozenburg-Hengst Michal Voorbergen-Laarman Marc Engelsma Niels Jørgen Olesen Google Olga Haenen Heike Schuetze Michael Cieslak Clazien De Vos Armin Elbers Suyin Oldenburg Marcel Spierenburg Ineke Roozenburg-Hengst Michal Voorbergen-Laarman Marc Engelsma Niels Jørgen Olesen Google Scholar Olga Haenen Heike Schuetze Michael Cieslak Clazien De Vos Armin Elbers Suyin Oldenburg Marcel Spierenburg Ineke Roozenburg-Hengst Michal Voorbergen-Laarman Marc Engelsma Niels Jørgen Olesen PubMed Olga Haenen Heike Schuetze Michael Cieslak Clazien De Vos Armin Elbers Suyin Oldenburg Marcel Spierenburg Ineke Roozenburg-Hengst Michal Voorbergen-Laarman Marc Engelsma Niels Jørgen Olesen Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. 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Explaining production expansion decisions of Dutch dairy farmers

The abolition of dairy quotas in Europe in 2015 has been accompanied by uncertainty on expansion of the European dairy sector. Whereas the total amount of quotas was limited and the value of quotas was falling before 2015, a significant part of active Dutch dairy farmers followed an expansion strategy in the recent past. Therefore, it was expected that the overall milk production in the Netherlands will substantially increase after abolishment of the quota. The objective of this study is to analyse which factors determine milk production expansion by Dutch dairy farmers. A conceptual model is developed that shows how policies, market conditions, and farmers’ values and goals affect their expansion decisions. This conceptual model shows that not only economic, but also social and environmental variables are important factors in expansion decisions of Dutch dairy farmers. Zooming in on the dynamic decision making process itself, we combine three investment theories to explain investment decisions. This framework is the basis for a dynamic random effects probit model that is used to estimate the effects of various economic, environmental and farm structural factors on farmers’ expansion behaviour. Data is obtained from the Dutch Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) covering the period 2001 through 2010, with 1390 observations on 354 dairy farms included in the sample. The results show that production intensity matters when analysing production expansion behaviour of Dutch dairy farms. Compared to extensive farms, intensive farms have a higher probability for milk production expansion. The availability of land however is an important precondition. Production diversification, which is usually found at extensive farms, decreases the probability for milk production expansion. Although the findings do not directly show an increase in milk production during the sample period (farmers still respected their quota limits), the results indicate that Dutch dairy farms can potentially increase milk production in the future. In 2010 farms underutilized their stable space, as the occupancy of stable space was 71%. After milk quota abolishment farms can therefore increase livestock herd and milk production with limited investments.

Nutrient balance at chain level: a valuable approach to benchmark nutrient losses of milk production systems

A nutrient balance approach is often used to quantify losses of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, that contribute to environmental problems such as eutrophication. A nutrient balance generally is computed at farm level, implying that nutrient losses related to pre-farm processes, such as production of purchased feed, are neglected. Using a nutrient balance at farm level to benchmark livestock systems or individual farms that differ in, for example, amount of purchased concentrates, however, may lead to biased conclusions. To determine whether a nutrient balance that accounts for losses during production of purchased feed (i.e. a chain balance from cradle-to-farm-gate) are more suited to benchmark nutrient losses of milk production systems or individual farms than a nutrient balance at farm level, we analysed 19 Irish grass-based dairy farms and 13 Dutch concentrate-based dairy farms. For each farm, we computed nitrogen and phosphorus losses at farm and chain level (i.e. from cradle-to-farm-gate, including losses from purchased feed production), and expressed these losses per ton fat-and-protein-corrected milk. An independent T-test and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test were used to examine the difference in mean losses at farm and chain level between Irish and Dutch systems. Regression analysis was used to determine if the ranking of the farms changes using a nutrient balance at farm or chain level. Results show that on average, Irish farms had higher nitrogen losses per ton milk than Dutch farms, both at farm (Irish = 20; Dutch = 8 in kg N/ton milk) and chain level (Irish = 22; Dutch = 11 in kg N/ton milk). Phosphorus losses per ton milk, on the other hand, did not differ between Irish and Dutch farms at farm (Irish = 0.3; Dutch = 0.1 in kg P/ton milk) or chain level (Irish = 0.8; Dutch = 1.0 in kg P/ton milk). Regression analysis revealed that the nutrient balance at chain level could be accurately predicted from the nutrient balance at farm level (R2 = 0.992 for N; R2 = 0.910 for P); whereas in case of phosphorus, the slope tended to differ between Irish and Dutch farms (p < 0.10). Ranking 32 farms based on the nitrogen balance at farm or chain level, therefore, showed a similar pattern, whereas the ranking pattern based on the phosphorus farm balance differed from the pattern based on the chain balance. We concluded, therefore, that to benchmark nutrient losses of dairy systems, a nutrient balance at farm level can be used if differences in on-farm losses between systems are large, and pre-farm losses related to, e.g. production of purchased concentrates, are relatively unimportant. To benchmark individual farms, a nutrient balance at farm level can be used only if changes in pre-farm losses per unit change in on-farm losses are similar across farms. A chain level balance of a sample set, however, is required to verify these conditions.

Attitudes and perceptions of Dutch veterinarians on their role in the reduction of antimicrobial use in farm animals

Little is known about attitudes of veterinarians towards antibiotic use and reduction opportunities, and their interaction with farmers herein. Therefore, a questionnaire was developed and sent out to Dutch farm animal veterinarians. The response rate was 40%. Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA) was conducted on statements measuring attitudes towards the use of antibiotics and reduction opportunities in farm animals, the veterinary pharmacy and the interaction of veterinarians with farmers in improving animal health. This resulted in 3 underlying dimensions. Additionally, possible explanatory variables (main farm animal species working with, years of experience in practice) were added to the CATPCA to identify differences between veterinarians. Veterinarians working with different animal species were comparable in their opinions towards the necessity to reduce veterinary antibiotic use and the current policy to halve veterinary antibiotic consumption. Veterinarians working with ruminants – “ruminant specialists” – and veterinarians working with several different animal species – “generalists” – reported to feel more uncertainty in acting independently from farmers' and significant others' (other advisors, colleagues) demands for antibiotics or opinions than veterinarians mainly working with intensively raised animals (pigs, poultry, veal calves) – “intensive specialists”. Years of experience in practice was negatively related to feelings of uncertainty in acting independently. At the other hand, years of experience was associated with being less concerned about the possible contribution of veterinary antibiotic use to antimicrobial resistance, considering it more important to keep the right to prescribe and sell antibiotics, and being less hesitant to apply antibiotics to prevent (further dissemination of) animal diseases. Intensive specialists expected most from improving feed quality and benchmarking of antibiotic prescribing and use in reducing veterinary antibiotic use; ruminant specialists and generalists preferred improving housing and climate conditions and benchmarking. The by veterinarians perceived main reasons for farmers not to comply to veterinary advices to improve animal health were related to financial and time restrictions, although intensive specialists stressed the importance of conflicting advices from other advisors as a cause for non-compliance. The results showed that younger veterinarians might require additional support to act independently from farmers’ and significant others’. Additionally, experienced veterinarians could be educated about possible risks related to veterinary overuse of antibiotics. Alternative approaches should be identified for veterinarians to preserve a decent income without pharmacy incomes. Especially in intensive farming, ways should be found to prevent contradictory advices as a barrier not to implement veterinary advices to improve animal health.

Development and application of a protocol to evaluate herd welfare in Dutch dairy farms

A protocol was developed and applied in a field survey to incorporate evaluation of herd welfare into the existing quality assurance program in Dutch dairy farming. Welfare was derived from the state of the biological needs of cows. Welfare targets and critical control points were selected according to HACCP principles, while restriction was to dairy herds with loose-cubicle housing (>90% of Dutch herds).The feasibility for measurement of the protocol was tested in a pilot study with 52 preselected, medium-sized herds for time needed for the observations (set at ~1h to 2h ), robustness of parameters (threshold of 80% true cases for repeated scores), and opinions from inspectors and farmers, which were variable but positive on average. The final protocol consisted of 16 animal-based and 14 environment-based parameters.From a random sample of 240 dairy herds (1% of Dutch farms), 164 herds (12,267 cows) with median herd size of 67 cows (SD=38) participated in the field survey, on a voluntary basis. The time needed for scoring averaged 78min (SD=22) per herd. Animal-based parameters included leg disorders, normal and abnormal locomotion, external lesions, skin and teat problems, poor body condition, and fearfulness of the herd. Herd prevalence averaged highest for abnormal locomotion (43.8%), swollen hocks and knees (25.2%), dermatophytosis (24.2%), scabies (20.1%), and filthiness (17.4%). However, herd prevalence was lowest (<2%) for lying down in passageways, clinical mastitis, and arthritis. Analysis on percentiles revealed large variation between herds for most parameters. ‘Fearfulness’ was scored ‘calm’ or ‘extremely calm’ in 68% of herds. Overall, our data suggest that herds were distinguishable by scoring ‘generally good’ or ‘generally poor’ for a wide set of animal-based parameters (p<0.05).Environment-based parameters included technical dimensions and stocking densities of the feeding gate and cubicles, availability of feed at the feeding gate, the floor of cubicles, and access to and hygiene of drinking water. The scores were analyzed on basis of statistical parameters and prevalence distribution, and were compared with existing technical Dutch recommendations, the ‘standard’. Deviations from the recommendations could partly be attributed to the age of the facilities.For most herds, the cubicle bed was a rubber mat (44%) or mattress (21%), whereas litter as bedding material was observed in 21% of herds; but there was no Dutch standard. For stocking rates of the feeding gate and cubicles, the results were variable. But for lactating cows, the average stocking rates of feeding gate (103.6%; SD=26.7) and cubicles (95.8%; SD=14.1) were close to standard (100%). Provision, hygiene, and access to drinking water were generally according to requirement (>96% of herds).Overall, our results indicate various directions for welfare improvement in practice, both at the individual farm and sector level.

Breeding for polledness in Holstein cattle

Currently almost all dairy cattle are dehorned as calf to avoid injuries later in life. A welfare friendly alternative to dehorning is to breed polled cattle. This paper explores the potential to breed for polledness in the Holstein breed, and investigates the genetic merit and relatedness of both polled and horned bulls. In 2009 there were 33 polled bulls available for artificial insemination (AI), two of them being homozygous for polledness. In 2014 more than 150 bulls were available, 31 of them being homozygous. Breeding values for the total merit index (NVI-Dutch Flemish Index) have increased considerably for polled bulls. In 2009 the difference in average Estimated Breeding Value (EBV) for NVI between polled bulls (available for AI) and the top 100 horned AI bulls was 180 points, equivalent to about 18 years of selection at that time. In 2014 the difference was reduced to 149 points, equivalent to about 5 years of (genomic) selection. Genomic selection has made an important contribution to this reduced difference between polled and horned bulls. Polled bulls in 2009 were more inbred (F=0.045) than horned bulls (F=0.037) but less related to cows born at Dutch farms in that year (r=0.070 vs. 0.089). Using optimal contributions and a combination of polled and horned bulls, a next generation of animals can be bred that combines a high genetic merit with a relatively low relatedness and higher frequency of polledness. However, homozygous polled bulls born in 2012–2014 had a relatively high average inbreeding level (F=0.079) and almost all originated from the same two polled founder bulls. This may form a potential risk for lethal alleles showing up with inbreeding. Overall, breeding high genetic merit polled Holstein cows has become a realistic perspective, but care must be taken to avoid high relatedness and inbreeding levels.