Les indicateurs de santé en élevage allaitant

Résumé

Herd health key performance indicator are objectives tools for evaluation based on the quantification of the occurrence of a phenomenon in a population for a defined period. They can be used to position the farm in a reference population or be compared to thresholds or objectives previously defined to monitor the health status of a farm. These indicators and their benchmarks must be qualified as “SMART”, i.e. Specific, Measurable, Acceptable, Realistic and Time-bound. This article lists the epidemiological-clinical, biochemical and antibiotics exposure indicators that may be suitable for suckler cow-calf farms. A review of the literature draws up elements of comparison. Objectives, that can be used routinely in the context of an audit or herd health monitoring program, are then proposed by the authors.