Benefits of recording of diagnostic data. A veterinarian perspective.

In 2006 a health monitoring system for cattle in Austria was started. Since 2011 monitoring of health data is integrated into the breeding programs of Austrian cattle breeders and therefore compulsory for all breeding herds. Veterinarian diagnoses are standardized, validated and recorded in a central cattle database. Besides the use of diagnostic data for routine evaluation of health traits, the information obtained can be used for management decisions to improve the health status in cattle herds. Veterinarians receive health reports for the herd management to consult their farmers. These health reports include all already existing information from performance recording as well as diagnostic data. Health reports are used by veterinarians for auditing the member farms of the Austrian animal health organisations. Using the experiences from the health monitoring system recordings of treatments and the use of veterinary medicinal products shall be implemented into the health monitoring system on a voluntary basis. As a result, the central cattle database will serve as a register for treatment data and therefore simplify the documentation of treatments by farmers and veterinarians. From the end-consumer s perspective the food safety and the health risks caused by drug resistant bacteria are increasingly of particular interest. There is growing demand for consumer confidence in animal health and drug use. Associating diagnostic data with treatment data can give valuable information on prudent use of veterinary drugs and serve as a basis for further research on the impact of drug use in cattle production on antimicrobial resistance.