No adverse effect on health of cows kept near Cork pharmachem hub
There is no evidence of any adverse effect on the health or productivity of dairy cows who are kept close to Ireland’s pharmachem hub in Cork Harbour, a major new study has found.
The five-year research project by Cork County Council for the Environmental Protection Agency also found a reduction in total dioxins in the target herds in line with national trends, and in some cases, levels significantly less than applicable EU limits.
The findings of the Animal Health Surveillance Scheme (AHSS) have been welcomed by council chief executive, Tim Lucey.
“Cork Harbour offers a host of potential across a wide variety of sectors,” he said.
“The AHSS is a vital source of data which contributes to safeguarding our shared environment.
Both agriculture and industry are key economic drivers for Cork county and play their respective parts in our continued growth.
Cork County accounts for 26% of Ireland’s national dairy output. The Cork Harbour area is home to one of the most concentrated clusters of pharmachem companies in the country.
Surveillance of the harbour’s dairy herds began in the 1990s because dairy cows are considered to be a good indicator or a ‘proxy’ for human health and overall environmental quality.
The latest AHSS study, which began in 2011 as a continuation of the earlier studies, monitored five control and six target herds for five years.
It has found no evidence of any adverse effect on their health of their location close to an industrial zone.
The study found the control herds were more intensively managed and had higher milk yields, and that a reduction in total dioxins in milk produced by the harbour herds is similar to the findings of other studies in the UK and Ireland for the same period.
Over the study period, for both the control and target herds, the proportion of multiple births (4%), live births (96%) and perinatal mortality (4.2%) recorded were similar to previous years and in line with national trends.
Both control and target herds recorded a similar incidence of still-births (3%) compared to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) national figures of 2%.
The proportions of male (52.2%) to female calves born were similar for both groups and similar to national figures.
The average calving-to-calving interval for the individual control and target herds compared to the ICBF national herd averages is similar.
The County Mayor, Cllr Christopher O’Sullivan, said the county is fortunate to be one of the country’s largest agricultural producers.
“This report helps us ensure the long term sustainability of this vital industry, by providing reassurance as to the health of dairy herds and hence our shared environment,” he said.
A questionnaire of target and control dairy herd owners revealed that the study also provides early warning of routine metabolic and parasitic diseases which can affect cattle and is therefore a useful tool for farmers in the short term.
