PIFT - Improving cattle health and wellbeing at farm level using abattoir data feedback

Summary

Abattoirs in Australia collect large amounts of data on animals they process. These data include information on identification, breed, sex, age, meat parameters (such as colour, fat and bruising) as well as parasitological and pathological conditions identified in organ meat and body parts. This information is relatively underutilised for its value in animal health, but has potential as a useful tool to assist producers in identifying health and wellbeing issues within their herds. To be utilised within a feedback loop, the information must be provided to the producer in a comprehensible and timely manner.

In this project, data relating to bruising and condemned body parts (that is, organs which have disease or parasite damage) from OBE Organic slaughter lines were analysed. These data were used to identify prevalence (percentage of total consigned cattle) of bruising, some pathological (disease) and parasitological conditions that have the potential to reduce or negatively affect the productivity (and profitability) of cattle supplied for slaughter for that Property Identification Code (PIC).

A feedback report for individual properties was generated for 14 PICs in the supply chain. The report was designed to assist producers in identifying and managing conditions (diseases, parasites or well-being impacts) on their property that may be reducing productivity and profitability and/or potentially pose a risk to the well-being of the livestock. This report included of a set of guide notes and materials that producers could utilise to undertake more targeted biosecurity and welfare management within their enterprises.

More targeted sero-surveillance (blood testing) was undertaken to demonstrate the prevalence of certain production-limiting diseases such as Leptospirosis, Neosporosis and Pestivirus. The prevalence of these diseases was used to underpin economic modelling, to determine costs and benefits of a change of management for such diseases, such as the inclusion of vaccination, or an integrated control program.