Highlighting the challenges, opportunities and key trends as the world of animal agriculture transitions to a new landscape for 2019 and beyond.

One of the standout areas of progress featured at EuroTier 2018 is animal care and welfare. This is increasingly not only a “must” topic for any area of innovation to address but also a leading area of science and technical advancement.

Animal welfare award

A top example rising to the surface is MS Korund from Schippers GmbH, Kerken-Nieukerk, Germany.

The MS Korund System from Messrs. Schippers is being presented with the Animal Welfare Award as it pursues a consistently preventive approach leading to early recognition of hoof changes in the hoof sole and hoof diseases. For the first time a system has been made available that automatically identifies animals requiring attention at a very early stage and guides them to preventive hoof care at the next 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, such as 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.

Another top example of innovation showcased at EuroTier 2018 is the CBS-System dsp-Agrosoft GmbH, Ketzin/Havel, Germany. 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.