Hoof care systems awarded for animal welfare

Eurotier is being held this week in Hanover, Germany. Many dairy related innovations are on display, and next to the regular gold and silver medals for innovations, Eurotier also recognised 2 companies for their products on animal welfare and awarded them with the special Animal Welfare Award.

Early recognition of hoof changes

One of them is the MS Korund System from Schippers. The system has a preventive approach leading to early recognition of hoof changes in the hoof sole and hoof diseases. The system automatically identifies animals requiring attention at a very early stage and guides them to preventive hoof care at the first opportunity. Thanks to this early diagnosis, hoof health can be maintained and hoof problems prevented.

For the practical veterinarian hoof diseases are among the most frequently diagnosed health problems in dairy cattle herds. In addition to the frequent occurrence, these ailments are generally very painful and therefore represent massive impairment of the animals’ well-being. Alongside the pain, lameness in the dairy cattle can lead to considerable negative consequences for the animal, for example limited mobility and reduced feed uptake or water uptake. With MS Korund a system has been created that has an optimally preventive effect and serves to protect the health and well-being of the cows directly.

Photo: Schippers

Gait pattern and the body condition

The award also went to the CBS-System from dsp-Agrosoft GmbH. The aim of the CBS-System is to identify hoof illnesses at an early stage and to detect lameness in dairy cattle. A combination of the gait pattern and the body condition is used to monitor the herd regularly. Abnormalities and changes in the herd are recorded automatically and objectively and identified at an early stage. Thanks to the prompt identification of changes in the physical condition and lameness, the farmer is enabled to conduct hoof treatment at an earlier stage and thus to maintain animal health and animal welfare in the herd and take specific appropriate countermeasures. Through the linkage to the existing herd management system Herde Plus, all relevant information is saved and documented and is available to the farmer for animal-related and economic evaluations. It is this comprehensive approach in particular that represents a decisive step forward towards early prevention and thus towards greater animal health and improved well-being.

Photo: dsp-Agrosoft GmbH