THE NEED FOR INFORMATION ON ANIMAL HEALTH - RESULTS OF A SURVEY OF THE ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION BY DAIRY FARMERS

Livestock production is economically the most important sector of west German agriculture. Farmers earn some 70% of their income from this s ource with milk and beef production being the largest component accoun ting for 40% of earnings. A representative survey, conducted on behalf of the German Agricultural Society in November 1991, revealed that th ere is still an exceptionally high demand for information on animal he alth issues among dairy farmers in western Germany. Farmers were asked which subjects they would like to see at agricultural shows and which of eight topics they considered as very important, important or unimp ortant. Animal health was the most frequently recorded important topic , 55% regarded it as very important and 40% as important. The other to pics in decreasing order of importance were milking technology, feedin g, feedstuffs and feeding technology, followed by marketing, managemen t techniques, livestock material, housing construction and questions o n liquid and solid manure. The larger the dairy herd the greater the d emand for more information on animal health in general and at shows in particular. The survey therefore identified a need for a fresh evalua tion of the potential means of achieving successful communication to d airy farmers.