Normally, cows in Northern Europe in places such as Denmark live normal lives simply grazing on grass, and existing. However, there have been recent changes that have disrupted this normal activity. Generally the bluetongue virus (spread by Culicoides imicola, a biting midge) has been confined to Southern Europe and other places around the Mediterranean. But with the increase in temperature throughout the area, the midge has been allowed to migrate northward. This new pest is a nuisance and causes lots of difficulties to farmers in the area. When a cow contracts this disease, they usually also receive oral ulcers, salivation, stiffness, fever and eventually the inevitable- death (Merck Veterinary Manual NP). Because of the increase in temperature, midges have spread around the globe infecting livestock and creating terrible trouble for many farmers.
The biting midge (Culicoides imicola), which is responsible for this disease’s transmission, is usually contained within Mediterranean Europe; where the conditions have been exactly what the midge demands to survive (Society for General Microbiology NP). However, with an increase in average temperature of six degrees, the midge has been allowed to travel northward threatening the cattle throughout the area and even as far as England (Society for General Microbiology NP). The spread of the midge’s territory has led to an increased number of their population, along with the amount of infected cattle.
From a financial and marketing standpoint, the effects have been catastrophic. In some areas, milk production has decreased by an average of two liters daily and calving index (efficiency at which new calves are produced) went down by an average of twenty days (Davies NP). Th...
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...s moves on, and unless something dramatic happens, there will be many more agonizing costs that will be needed to pay.
Works Cited
“Bluetongue: Introduction.” The Merck Veterinary Manual. 2008. Merial. Online. 25
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“Bluetongue Virus.” 10 December 2009. 25 January 2010. .
Davies, Jack. Plan BTV vaccination ready for summer. 13 February 2009. 25 January
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Hoar, David, et. al. Probability of introduction of exotic strains of bluetongue virus into
the US and into California through importation of infected cattle. Davis:
Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine,
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Mertens, Peter. Climate change fears for deadly virus outbreaks in livestock. 31 March
2009. 25 January 2010. .
Unfortunately, this business model was unsustainable due to the increasing input costs of farming and the low prices the Hatcher’s were receiving for their milk. All other local dairies faced the same issues. As a result, a federal buy-out
CAFO’s are beneficial in that they can provide a low-cost source of meat, milk and eggs due to efficient feeding and hosing methods of the animals, as well as boost the local economy by providing jobs. Unfortunately the negatives of CAFO’s outweigh the benefits immensely.
Mad Cow Disease, scientifically referred to as (BSE) Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, is a disease that affects those humans who eat the meat from infected cows. Mad Cow Disease is one of several fatal brain diseases called (TSE) Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy. (USDA) There was evidence of a new illness resembling the sheep disease scrapie. It was technically named BSE but quickly acquired the mad cow tag because of the way infected cattle behave. (CNN) In 1997, there was an award given to Stanley Prusiner, for concluding that a distorted protein called a prion was responsible for Mad Cow Disease, noted the long incubation period made it difficult to distinguish (Bryant). Another name for Mad Cow Disease is the new variant Cruetzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), similar to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, which is a deadly brain illness that strikes about one per million per year (USDA) due to genetic or unknown causes while the vCJD is contracted from eating infected cows (USDA). Both CJD and vCJD are so similarly named because of the similar effects from the illness.
Mad cow disease, also knows as BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) is an transferable disease which slowly attacks the brain and nervous system of cattle. There isn’t any cure for the disease. The first case of BSE in Canada was a cow that had been imported from the United Kingdom in 1987 at the age of six months. The animal was destroyed upon the discovery of the disease and the Canadian government banned imports from the United Kingdom. This report relates to unit 4 in terms of the economic and industrial overview of the disease in Canada. This report is on the second discovery of mad cow disease in Canada and how it affected Canada economy and Alberta’s beef industry.
Accelerated lambing is used across the world, though it is most common in the northeastern USA and Canada. It is however growing in South Africa and New Zealand. Producers need to take a very close look at their finances before they implement an accelerated lambing program, the increased revenue from the extra lambs sold at higher market prices can sometimes be too good to be true for some due to the increased input costs such as labor, housing and feed. A study done by W.D. Allan found that the accelerated lambing program produces a return too low to warrant the program in
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or Mad Cow Disease (BSE), degenerative brain disorder of cattle. Symptoms in cows include loss of coordination and a typical staggering gait. Affected animals also show signs of senility, for example, lack of interest in their surroundings, the abandonment of routine habits, disinterest in feed and water, or unpredictable behavior. Affected cattle show symptoms when they are three to ten years old.
cattle. Between the years 1992 and 1995, a major BSE outbreak occurred in Great Britain, which caused
Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonotic disease that is arthropod-borne.1, 2, 3, 4 This viral disease primarily affects domestic animals but has the ability to affect humans.1, 3, 4 The severity of the disease can range from mild to severe and can be potentially fatal.1 An epidemic in the animal population, also known as an epizootic, could result in increased economic loss as the disease leads to livestock death and spontaneous abortion among pregnant animals .1, 2, 3, 4 A reduction in trade could also result contributing to further economic loss.1, 2, 3, 4 The virus which causes Rift Valley Fever is in the family Bunyaviridae and the genus Phlebovirus.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
When researching diseases that affect animals, I chose to research one that deals with cattle. This disease would be a reproductive venereal disease called vibriosis. Vibriosis can affect all breeds of cattle, male or female, and is the most important cause of infertility in female cattle along with occasional abortions. This disease is caused by bacteria that live in the crevices of a bull’s prepuce, of a bull aged four years or older (Hansen, 1914). Age is a factor because the foreskin of a bull does not develop until then. The disease is spread from an infected bull to a cow during breeding. A bull might be clean, but then infected by a cow who was infected by a bull before him. Many bulls can go years without showing any signs of this disease, whereas female cattle may lose a calf to an abortion the next coming calving season.
Even with a naturally high milk production, years of selective breeding has increased this yield further. Since the 1960s, the U.S. dairy industry dramatically improved selective breeding efforts, helping double milk production (2). With this major development, it is likely that genetic improvements can increase 1% to 2% per year (1). Presently, 30% of the Holstein’s genome has been modified by selective breeding procedures. These modifications can be illustrated by an increase in milk production. Between 1957 and 2007, milk production increased by...
Evidence pointed out that there were as many deaths in thinly populated areas as those areas that were highly settled and there were as many deaths in the winter as in the summer. The presence of fleas in winter months is highly unlikely. According to Twigg, a medical historian, tales were told that described death as occurring within three to four days after incubation which also was inconsistent with the three-phase stages of bubonic plague. (Cantor ) In some cases death occurred without the presence of fever or buboes. It was strongly speculated that anthrax, a cattle disease, could have been partially responsible for numerous deaths. Anthrax began with symptoms similar to bubonic plague. There were arguments for and against the idea that rodents and cattle were responsible for these deaths. Humans eating tainted meat from infected cattle explained how the cattle disease was transmitted to humans. Because of limited medical advances during that time period, it was not clearly determined whether bubonic plague and anthrax
The current Production Capacity is Low to face the upcoming competition-The dairy currently produces 10000 liters of milk per day even after 30 years of presence in the market. This will certainly affect the chances to take advantage of the current growing market and to manage the consumption cycles of the industry. The question of whether to decide on the expansion of production capacity: With an incredible growth expected in the industry, the issue that the management faces now is, whether to increase the production capacity or not. This is very much needed as the expansion of production capacity will equip the company to supply and cater to the demand as well as attain economies of scale, which can be used as a competitive advantage against the new entrants. However, this calls for capital investments on the assets required for expansion.
Zinsstag J, Schelling E, Roth F, Bonfoh B, de SD, et al. Human benefits of animal interventions for zoonosis control. Emerg Infect Dis. 2007;13:527–531
According to Health and Safety executive (HSE), (n.d), heat stress is a component of climate change “that causes the body temperature to fail”, and is a global problem which affects agriculture and livestock. The effect of heat stress on Livestock’s has become greater for animals such as dairy cows and beef cattle. When animals are under distress due to temperature rise, they usually cut back on their feeding practices; have a rise in body temperature and faces weight loss. Milk production, milk fat, protein content and the progression of breeding are also affected, especially in dairy cows. When heat stress occurs, dairy cow...
Over the past century, the dairy industry has undergone significant structural and technical changes in how and where milk is produced. Up until the time of the mid-20th century, dairy farming was largely done as a sideline activity of the small, self-sufficient farming operations that were found all across the countryside. Right around that time, howe...