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DairyCare

A COST Action in dairy animal welfare

Prof Chris KnightUniversity of Copenhagen

chkn@sund.ku.dk

Background and context• Milk is produced in every single EU Member State

without exception.• Milk is the EU number one single product sector….. at

approximately 15 % of agricultural output. • The EU dairy herd has been decreasing steadily during

the last years, as milk yield per cow has improved. • Farm and dairy herd sizes vary enormously….(BUT)• …as the dairy sector develops…less developed dairy

producers are rapidly catching up with those who had restructured and modernized

From http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/milk/

Background and context

• Summary: Higher yielding cows and bigger, more technological dairy farms requiring higher level management

• Currently hindered by technology fragmentation and lack of key technology uptake

• Example: mastitis detection

Effective technologies that assist good

husbandry are urgently needed

Key objectives

• To improve the wellbeing of dairy cows through two mechanisms:

– Accelerated development and application of relevant biotechnologies that will assist and promote good husbandry

– Wider dissemination of best-practices

Key deliverables• Novel biotechnologies for:

– Automated monitoring of dairy cow wellbeing– Automated detection of sub-clinical problems (eg SARA)– Automated monitoring of feeding behaviour – Automated detection of lameness

• Tailored ”smart” husbandry support systems for automated herd management

• DairyCare ”Blueprint for Action”

Knowledge translated into effective decision-

making

Key scientific focus

• Novel non-invasive welfare biomarkers• Novel milk metabolomic health analysis• Novel activity-based welfare and health technologies• Novel biologic and teleonomic data acquisition,

processing and modelling to deliver integrated decision making tools

Novel and realistic sensing and integration

technologies

Why COST?• Opportunity to co-ordinate and obtain added-value from ongoing research

– ERA Net ICT Agri (4 relevant projects, including Dairy ICT)– EU FP7 EU-PLF (also ProHealth, All-Smart-Pigs)– Marie Curie: BioBusiness– National projects– COST FAP– Co-Lact Nordforsk researcher network

• Need for multi-disciplinary, cross-regional, trans-sectoral activities

• Opportunity to benefit from diverse range of skillsets and knowledge bases

Key impacts• DairyCare will deliver improved local and global competitiveness for

EU industries• For EU dairy farmers and consumers:

– Optimised welfare will maximise milk value and deliver added value along the food chain

– Automated sensing and clear, simple decision tools will enable economies of scale and solve the problem of husbandry dilution

• For EU biotechnology and engineering industries:– Novel products will be developed for the global market

• DairyCare will deliver improved herd management, hence reducing waste and emissions and increasing sustainability

Increased competitiveness in global food security

Key mechanisms• Having the best and most relevant:

– Partners– Skills and disciplines– Structures

• Scientific • Organisational

– Scientific Activities– Dissemination Activities– Communication

Partners• Scientific partners from 24 COST countries• Experts from 4 non-COST countries• Cattle feedstuffs companies• Cattle breeding companies• Dairy engineering companies• Dairy consultancies and advisors• Dairy farmers• Consumer organisations

Excellent academic:industry

balance (2:1)

Skills and disciplines• Animal scientists• Nutritionists• Veterinarians• Geneticists• Ethologists• Electronics engineers• Engineers• Computer scientists• Data analysts/Mathematicians• Economists

• Physiology• Metabolomics• Proteomics• Genomics• Behavioural science• Systems science• Biological modelling• Bioethics• Socioeconomics

Structures: Scientific

WG1Biomarker-

based welfare technologies

WG2Activity-based

welfare technologies

WG3System-level

welfare technologies

Early-Stage Researcher Forum

Scientific Activities

Kick-off Meeting

Implementation plan

Networking

Conference

Networking

Conference

Networking

Conference

Networking

Conference

Draft Blueprint

FinalConferenc

e BlueprintFor Action

STSM

ESRs in focus: Target of 10-15

STSM/yr,ESRs help make

decisions

Action-specific deliverablesDeliverable Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4

Implementation Plan

 

 X

                             

Website created  

   X

                           

Networking Conference

Report

       X

     X

     X

  

   X

      

Journal of Dairy Research special

issue

              

 X

    

      

     X

STSMReports

 

    

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

 X

  

DairyCare Blueprint for

Action

                               X

Research Training Manual

 

               X

             X

 

Best Practice Manuals

 

          

   X

  

   X

  

  

       X

Social Media and Video Reports

 

         X

       X

       X

     X

WG1Biomarker-based

Welfare Technologies

WG2Activity-based

Welfare Technologies

WG3System-level

Welfare Technologies

Early Stage Researcher

Forum

Chair

VC Chair

VC Chair

VCChai

rVC

Action Chair

VC

STSMco-ordinators

Action Steering Group

Disseminationco-ordinator

Rupert Bruckmaier, CH

Sigrid Agenas, SE

Gerardo Caja, ES

Ivan Andonovic, UK

Jon Moorby, UK

Lene Munksgaard, DK

Vivi Thorup, FR

Marcela Speranda, HR

Gianfranco Gabai, IT Marta Brsic

Annelies van Nuffel

Structures: Organisational Management Committee

2 delegates per country

Chris Knight, DK Lena Lidfors, SE

Structures: SupportCOST

Brussels Secretariat

Action Steering Group

ActionCentral

Secretariat

LocalMeeting

Secretariat

Overall administration where COST office is involved

Scientific administration(including meeting programme and registrations)

Domestic arrangements at meetings

Dissemination Activities• Website: open access pages• Research Training Workshops at year 2 and 4, informed by

Implementation Plan and ESR Forum, tailored to ESRs• Best Practice Workshops, years 2, 3 & 4, tailored to endusers• Educational Outreach through existing Erasmus Mundus MSc

educations, tailored to next generation scientists• Published Networking Conference Proceedings (including

some as special issues of Journal of Dairy Research)• Peer reviewed and industry-ready publications/reports• DairyCare ”Blueprint for Action”

European Cattle Innovation Partnership

(EU Levy bodies: 9M cows)

Communication• Dedicated website www.dairycareaction.org

– Public access pages– Subscription-only pages– Partner publications– Reports– News– File and data sharing capability– Links to other relevant Actions and to related scientific

organsiations/events

• Presence at relevant scientific meetings• Social and video networking