Calf health from the calf’s perspective  

BURLINGTON, Ontario (July 24, 2015) – While the dairy and beef industries focus on calves meeting key health measurements, animal behaviour and veterinary research suggests that producers and veterinarians should consider the well-being of the calves a basic component of health.

This and other factors impacting calf health were the focus of the 8th Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-being held in Ontario, Canada in June 2015. The Forum brought together dairy and beef calf researchers, practitioners and other industry professionals to present new information on how to better manage the early stages of a calf’s life, especially from a calf’s perspective. The Forum was also an opportunity for researchers to share their research approaches with veterinarians from all continents.

“It all starts with the calf. Whether you’re a dairy producer or a beef producer, research shows us that well-being in these formative months impacts the long-term productivity of that calf,” said Dr. Robert Tremblay, a veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Limited.

“The speakers covered a wide range of topics including the importance of the mother-calf bond and social development from birth through the weaning process,” added Dr. Tremblay. “Cattle are social animals and the practices that separate calves appear to have an effect on a calf’s perception of pain and on its quality of life. These are important considerations for both dairy and beef producers.”

More than 80 international attendees heard from leading North American experts and veterinary researchers on a range of topics including new ways of measuring and mitigating pain often caused by common management practices. Speakers also talked about sustainable agriculture, consumer attitudes towards farming, and approaches to communicate the knowledge generated from research to producers.

Other topics discussed included:

• Current practices in rearing calves that combine stressful events like weaning, dehorning and branding and the cumulative effects of these events. The discussion considered the impact of separating these procedures and the use of pain management with non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) so that producers and veterinarians can enhance the calf’s well-being and reduce its pain through this period.

• Understanding the impact of pain, including how pain impacts the calf’s quality of life. Dr. Dan Weary, co-founder of the University of British Columbia’s Animal Welfare Program, spoke about the impact of isolating calves, noting that isolated calves have been found to have decreased cognitive ability, making them slower to learn and adapt to changes. Producers and veterinarians are starting to consider new approaches such as buddy or group systems to increase growth, decrease stress and improve learning.

• Exploration of new techniques for traditional practices such as branding. Researchers are looking for approaches that preserve the essential elements of farming traditions while improving calf quality of life. For example, Dr. Cassandra Tucker, a researcher at UC Davis, California, discussed alternatives to hot-iron branding, such as freeze-branding, that maintain the social and community elements of the practice while also considering how to mitigate the pain calves experience at branding.

About the Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-being
The 8th Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-being: From Birth to Weaning, A Calf’s Point of View, was held June 5 and 6, 2015 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. The Forum brought together more than 80 animal health industry experts and veterinarians from across Canada as well as Australia, China, France, Germany, Turkey, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States.

This is the first time the Forum has been held outside of Europe. For more information about this Forum and past events, visit: www.farmanimalwellbeing.eu

About Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is committed to fostering the health and well-being of mankind by promoting the emotional and physical benefits arising from the human animal bond. It has been providing solutions for the prevention and treatment of diseases in animals for almost 60 years.

About Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 146 affiliates and a total of more than 47,700 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative “Making more Health” and caring for the employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability.

In 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 13.3 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.9 per cent of its net sales.

The Canadian headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim was established in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec and is now located in Burlington, Ontario. Boehringer Ingelheim employs more than 550 people across Canada.

For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.ca