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Lookup NU author(s): Nikolaos Voutzourakis, Dr Sokratis Stergiadis, Dr Leo RempelosORCiD, Dr Mick Eyre, Gillian Butler, Professor Carlo Leifert
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Due to increasing demand, many traditional, grazing-based Mediterranean sheep production systems have introduced intensified feeding regimes, increased investments in infrastructure and drug use to increase milk yields. However, compared to bovine milk production systems, there is limited knowledge about the impact of these intensification practices on animal welfare and health and on the quality of dairy products. The aim of this study was therefore to quantify the effects of management practices and environmental conditions background on udder health, parasitism and milk quantity and quality in Cretan traditional production systems. Milk yields were higher in semi-intensive production systems while concentrations of several nutritionally desirable compounds such as omega-3 fatty acids were found to be higher in milk from extensive systems. Antibiotic and anthelmintic use was relatively low in both extensive and semi-intensive production systems. There was no substantial difference in parasitic burden, somatic cell counts, and microbi-ological parameters assessed in milk. Recording of flock health parameters showed that animal health and welfare was high in both extensive and semi-intensively managed flocks, and that over-all, the health status of extensively managed ewes was slightly better. In contrast, environmental conditions (temperature and rainfall) had a substantial effect on parasitism and milk quality.
Author(s): Voutzourakis N, Stefanakis A, Stergiadis S, Rempelos L, Tzanidakis N, Eyre M, Butler G, Leifert C, Sotiraki S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Sustainability
Year: 2021
Volume: 13
Issue: 17
Online publication date: 30/08/2021
Acceptance date: 24/08/2021
Date deposited: 15/09/2021
ISSN (electronic): 2071-1050
Publisher: MDPI
URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179706
DOI: 10.3390/su13179706
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