Now that fertilizer is very expensive, livestock farmers are investigating the possibility of supplying manure. This can pose risks to animal health on the farm.
The introduction of pathogens of salmonella or paratuberculosis is lurking when farms supply manure with cattle. Royal GD in Deventer warns about this.
GD states that research shows that Dutch dairy farms that supply ruminant manure more often have an unfavorable paratuberculosis status than farms that do not supply manure. There is also a trend that the supply of ruminant manure on farms with a favorable paratuberculosis status more often leads to loss of that status.
Pay attention to the status of paratuberculosis and salmonellosis
The danger of a reduction in animal health is therefore the reason that GD advises not to supply manure. If you still want or need to supply manure, you must in any case supply manure from companies with a favorable status for paratuberculosis and salmonellosis. It was already known for the supply of pig manure that this is associated with a higher risk of outbreaks due to Salmonella Typhimurium† To have more certainty, it is possible to have the manure to be supplied examined for the presence of Salmonella bacteria (pig and cattle manure) and paratuberculosis bacteria (cattle manure).
Only use supplied manure on arable land
Using supplied manure only on arable land reduces the risk of spreading germs. The risk of contamination with salmonella via grassland can be reduced by waiting at least six weeks and mowing once between spreading and grazing or feeding fresh grass.
In the case of paratuberculosis, the pathogenic bacteria on grassland can remain infectious for more than twelve months. They can also hand over ensilage. Cattle or goat manure supplied from a farm with a paratuberculosis infection is therefore not safe to use on grassland intended for roughage extraction or grazing.