A study of mortality among suckler and dairy cows in Northern Ireland in 1992
Menzies, F.D.; Bryson, D.G.; McCallion, T.; Matthews, D.I.
Veterinary Record 137(21): 531-536
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 8592815 Document Number: 447448
As part of an initiative aimed at reducing the number of cattle deaths in Northern Ireland, a survey of bovine mortality on a stratified random sample of farms and veterinary practices was carried out during 1992. In the farm survey, over 3500 deaths were reported from 1069 farms, with a further 237 farms reporting no deaths during the year. The estimated numbers of deaths of suckler cows and dairy cows were 5997 and 4246, respectively, giving an estimated annual mortality rate of 2.36% for suckler cows and 1.55% for dairy cows. One third of the suckler cows and 19% of the dairy cows were found dead with no previous signs of illness. In the cows in which clinical signs were observed and which received veterinary attention, hypomagnesaemia (20.3%) was the main cause of death in suckler cows and coliform mastitis (12.3%) was the single most important cause of death in dairy cows. Conditions associated with calving accounted for approximately 30% of the deaths in both types of cow.