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Content archived on 2024-05-29

Improving profitability of dairy SMEs through developing, validating and promoting the use of a biosensor for ovulation detection

Objective

IAGs have manifested a real need to provide the over 600,000 SME dairy farmers across Europe with a rapid, reliable and affordable means of ovulation detection. Misidentification of oestrus is a big problem in todays' herds, leading to poorly timed inseminations and lower conception rates, with farmers as a result presently losing milk production and calves due to long calving intervals. They are also at risk of using less desirable semen on later services and culling good cows from the herd that are not in fact pregnant. Recent studies indicate that 85-90% of unsuccessful inseminations are caused by failure in heat detection and only 10-15% due to conception rate. On many SME farms, fertility is still monitored by farmers observing changes in a cow's behaviour, combined with laborious regular recording of fertility events, which in general offer poor results.

Alternative methods such as pedometers present a large number of false positives and an efficiency of less than 50%. Available test procedures for monitoring progesterone levels (i.e. ELISA) in milk are not widely used as they are time-consuming, difficult to automate and require skilled technicians. This project will thus develop a rapid multianalyte analyser for predicting ovulation cycles in the field using an innovative biosensor for determining levels of progesterone and estradiol hormones in milk. The device will be easy to use and provide rapid, on-site information so that suitable cows can be identified for artificial insemination on a daily basis. Widespread uptake of this affordable enabling technology will improve the competitiveness of European SME dairy SME farms, as they will gain in productivity due to optimal output per cow in terms of increased delivery of calves due to short calving intervals, increased milk production due to a reduction in dry periods, and by replacing labour intensive human observation with innovative technology.

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Keywords

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Topic(s)

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Call for proposal

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FP6-2004-SME-COLL
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Funding Scheme

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COLLECTIVE -

Coordinator

CENTRE DE RECERCA I INVESTIGACIO DE CATALUNYA S.A.
EU contribution
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Total cost

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Participants (18)

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