Day 113 - 03 Apr 95 - Page 13
1 is both lactating at full stream, sometimes, as they say,
2 off her back, and she is also gestating a calf.
3
4 Now, this is a welfare point of view because she is under
5 great metabolic stress at this time and she may actually
6 succumb to physiological breakdown. If you like, one of
7 the diseases associated with it is what is called Ketosis,
8 K-E-T-O-S-I-S, which is rather like a diabetic's
9 hypoglycemic attack. So, it is unfortunate because the cow
10 at this stage just when she needs nutrition feels pretty
11 awful and may not eat very much. So, she will go down and
12 there is all the welfare, all the welfare corollary to
13 that.
14
15 So, there is a great deal of strain at that time before she
16 goes dry, when she is dried off. Nowadays, with the cows
17 yielding so much, one has this problem that they do not
18 really dry off completely.
19
20 If I could give you an example -----
21
22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just pause a moment. At what stage does a
23 cow normally dry off during the gestation period, for the
24 last two months?
25 A. For calving, yes, and because cows are so susceptible
26 to mastitis -- that is, inflammation of the interior of the
27 udder -- they are very often treated with what is called
28 dry cow therapy at that time, with antibiotics, long
29 lasting antibiotics, to deal, to try to counter that
30 problem which is -----
31
32 MR. MORRIS: Would they be treated before they get the disease?
33 A. Well, they might well have had the disease. You see,
34 as far as mastitis is concerned, there are about 35 cases
35 of mastitis for every 100 cows in a British herd. It is a
36 very prevalent disease and it is what is called by vets and
37 so on "a production disease". There are a whole series of
38 what are called production diseases.
39
40 Q. What does that mean?
41 A. That means they are diseases really brought on by
42 excessive pressure of production. They are over
43 production.
44
45 Q. Is it a painful disease?
46 A. Yes. It is very painful.
47
48 Q. How long does it continue for?
49 A. It can continue for various times until it is treated
50 and, in fact, it may result in the udder, quarter of the
51 udder -- the udder is in quarters; there are four teats --
52 it may result in one quarter being completely injured and
53 seizing up completely. If this starts to happen, well,
54 then I am anticipating a little, the cow is on the way to
55 becoming a culled cow, but -----
56
57 Q. Which would mean what?
58 A. It means that it is a cast cow who is going to be
59 rejected, and I will come to that in a minute, but at the
60 time let us suppose the cow has survived.
