Exploring the surveillance potential of mortality data: nine years of bovine fallen stock data collected in Catalonia (Spain).

ABSTRACT: The potential of fallen stock data to monitor the health status of animal populations has been noted in previous studies. However, further research is required to implement these systems for surveillance. This work presents a novel approach to determining the baselines associated with bovine fallen stock, comparing patterns between subpopulations and identifying subpopulations in which an abnormal event may occur. This study was based on data from 193,873 disposal visits carried out between 2004 and 2012 across a total of 2,991 bovine farms. Proxy measurements such as the number of collections carried out and the weight of carcasses collected were used. Both outcomes were aggregated weekly at different geographical scales for three production types (beef cattle, dairy cattle and heifer fat

SUBMITTER: Alba A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4398401 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature