Objectives of the project
Dairy farming is under pressure to improve and implement a more preventive and systemic approach to animal health, while at the same time being subject to constant changes: herd expansion, introduction of digital technology and greater variability in the size and composition of work groups. These transformations of work in livestock systems have consequences on the implementation of a more systemic vision of animal health. These transformations lead to a greater diversity of dairy farming systems in which the way in which work organization and health management are combined is not well known. This thesis proposes the concept of integrated animal health management (IHM) to link these two dimensions and produce new knowledge.
Two main steps were implemented to produce knowledge on the integrated animal health management approach through the prism of work:
- To characterize livestock systems by linking their work expectations and health management from a preventive and curative perspective. 10 qualitative surveys were conducted with diversified livestock system pilots. 7 variables characterizing the work-health link were identified. A typology of systems showing how these variables are combined in the breeding systems was then carried out by enlarging the panel of respondents (n=50).
- To characterize the operational management of care, by taking an interest in all the members of the collective working on the dairy workshop of these same 10 farms. This allowed us to identify technical care itineraries.
Key words
Livestock farming systems; Animal health; Agroecology; Farmers decision’s system; work configuration; work group; dairy farm.
Scientific partnership
USC Livestock Systems Research Unit (URSE), ACT Department (INRAE), UMR SELMET
PhD direction
Direction by Benoît Dedieu (INRAE) and Claire Manoli (USC URSE)
Contact URSE:
Funding
Co-funding ESA and INRAE and Pays de la Loire Region (RFI) “Food For Tomorrow-Cap Aliment”