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Sewerage Overflows Put Production and Fertility of Dairy Cows at Risk
Author(s) -
Meijer Gerwin A. L.,
Bree J.,
Wagenaar J. A.,
Spoelstra S. F.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1999.00472425002800040046x
Subject(s) - sewerage , environmental science , water quality , surface water , dairy cattle , zoology , environmental engineering , biology , ecology
More than 50% of the dairy farmers in the Netherlands use surface water as the main source of drinking water for their cows during the grazing season. The quality of this water may be affected by discharges from sewerage overflows, but possible effects on health of dairy cows have not been quantified. Our objective, therefore, was to assess the risk of impaired production and fertility in dairy cows that drink surface water in direct contact with a sewerage overflow. Standardized milk production of cows from 60 farms using surface water in direct contact with a sewerage overflow was 0.9 L d −1 less ( P = 0.09) than that of cows from 397 farms using surface water not in contact with an overflow. Also, age at first calving was 20 d higher ( P < 0.01) in heifers exposed to drinking water in contact with sewerage overflows. These results strengthen earlier suggestions that sewerage overflows may reduce production and fertility of dairy cows.