We caught up with the team working on CEVEC, one of Digital Dairy Chain’s collaborative R&D projects that kicked off in early 2024.
Calves from dairy herds are the foundation animals for both dairy farms and for the dairy-beef industry. However, there are several major health and welfare issues suffered by these calves. Pneumonia is a major problem for young calves, with an estimated 11% of all calves suffering from this problem. A case of pneumonia causes distress and ill health in the affected animal, but also has wider consequences including long-term adverse effects on growth, health, and fertility in that animal, and over-use of antimicrobial drugs. Poor ventilation and air quality in calf housing is known to be a major factor that increases rates of pneumonia.
To address this challenge, CEVEC will design and deliver a low-cost purpose-built calf rearing building, with real-time monitoring, and automated environmental control to ensure high health, welfare, and productivity of calves, whilst reducing labour costs associated with calf management.
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