Herd Health Management for Organically Raised Goats

Based on perceived health and environmental benefits as well as personal lifestyle choices, consumer demand for organically raised food has been steadily increasing over the last three decades in developed countries.

The aim of organic farming is to establish and maintain soil-plant, plant-animal, and animal-soil interdependence to create a closed and sustainable agro-ecologic system based on local resources. To achieve this, organic farming uses what are considered environmentally friendly methods of crop and livestock production that exclude synthetic Iertiliz- ers, growth hormones, growth-enhancing and all other anti­biotics, synthetic pesticides, and gene manipulation (Nardone et al. 2004). The focus of organic production systems is not on maximizing production, but rather on optimizing production in the context of the resources and management options available. As such, breeding programs for dairy goats, for example, might focus more on selection for disease or para­site resistance rather than increased milk production, while decisions on cropping and forage production might be driven by the decision to optimize use of pastures and not include grains or concentrates produced off farm in the animals’ diet.

Livestock veterinarians accustomed to working with cli­ents in conventional farming systems may chafe at the con­straints encountered in providing veterinary services to organic livestock producers, because many of the medi­cines routinely used in conventional livestock practice are not allowed in organically produced livestock. Most nota­ble among these are the antibiotics. However, with an open mind, animal healthcare delivery for organic livestock pro­duction can offer opportunities for creativity and innova­tion in developing holistic herd health programs that place more emphasis on preventive medicine and progressive management designed to minimize the occurrence of dis­ease and the associated need for antibiotics and other con­ventional therapies. This approach offers the added benefit of contributing to the global effort to mitigate antimicro­bial resistance.

With regard to what is available for use in the Irealmenl of organically raised livestock, the general rule of thumb is that all natural materials are allowed in organic agriculture unless specifically prohibited, while all synthetic materials are prohibited unless specifically allowed (Karreman 2006). In the United States, synthetic materials allowed for use in organic livestock production are identified in the regulations governing the country's National Organic Program. These regulations are located in Title 7 (Agriculture) of the United States Code of Federal Regulations in Section 205.603. There is a petition process by which petitioners can approach the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to add additional approved materials, and through this process new materials are being added, with the most recent additions formally included in 7 CFR 205.603 effective January 28, 2019 (US Government 2018).

It is worth noting that organic rules vary in other coun­tries or regions. For example, European Union rules pro­hibit the use of antibiotics and synthetic anthelmintics in organically raised livestock for prevention of disease and growth promotion, but do allow the use of these drugs for treatment of disease on humane grounds under the super­vision of a veterinarian when other treatments are ineffec­tive, with the caveat that meat and milk withdrawal times be suitably extended (Alliance to Save our Antibiotics 2021).

Successful provision of animal healthcare in organic livestock production requires a strong partnership between the veterinarian and the producer. A “fire engine” approach to respond to disease problems after they occur is not effec­tive, particularly with the constraints that exist on the drugs available for treatment. Instead, the producer and the veterinarian should be proactive and develop an ani­mal health plan for the operation. This should begin with a thorough review of existing facilities and management practices to identify situations conducive to the develop­ment of disease. Many conditions that require antibiotics for treatment, such as colisepticemia in kids, pneumonia and coccidiosis in weanlings, and mastitis in does, can be prevented or minimized with proper sanitation, housing design, ventilation, biosecurity, and management practices that promote good hygiene and minimize stress on the ani­mals.

The veterinarian should remain actively involved once the animal health plan is developed. Many farmers that enter organic production do so by making the transition from conventional production and have come to depend on conventional health interventions. The transition from conventional to certified organic farming may take three to

Table 20.4 Synthetic substances allowed for use in organic livestock production.

From Section 205.603 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations at 7 CFR 205, National Organic Program (NOP). Items allowed as of January 28, 2019.

In accordance with restrictions specified in this section, the following synthetic substances may be used in organic livestock production:

a) As disinfectants, sanitizer, and medical treatments as applicable:

1) Alcohols

i) Ethanol: disinfectant and sanitizer only, prohibited as a feed additive

ii) Isopropanol: disinfectant only

2) Aspirin: approved for healthcare use to reduce inflammation

3) Atropine^a

4) Biologics: vaccines

5) Butorphanol^a

6) Activated charcoal - must be from vegetative sources

7) Calcium borogluconate - for treatment of milk fever only

8) Calcium proprionate - for treatment of milk fever only

9) Chlorhexidine: for medical procedures conducted under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Allowed for use as a teat dip when alternative germicidal agents and/or physical barriers have lost their effectiveness

10) Chlorine materials: disinfecting and sanitizing facilities and equipment; residual chlorine levels in the water shall not exceed the maximum residual disinfectant limit under the Safe Drinking Water Act

i) Calcium hypochlorite

ii) Chlorine dioxide

iii) Hypochlorous acid - generated from electrolyzed water

iv) Sodium hypochlorite

11) Electrolytes - without antibiotic

12) Flunixin - in accordance with approved labeling; except that for use under 7 CFR part 205, the NOP requires a withdrawal period of at least two times that required by the FDA.

13) Glucose

14) Glycerin - allowed as a livestock teat dip; must be produced through the hydrolysis of fats or oils

15) Hydrogen peroxide

16) Iodine

17) Kaolin pectin - for use as an adsorbent, antidiarrheal, and gut protectant

18) Magnesium hydroxide^a

19) Magnesium sulfate

20) Mineral oil - for treatment of intestinal compaction, prohibited for use as a dust suppressant

21) Nutritive supplements - injectable supplements of trace minerals per paragraph (d)(2) of this section, vitamins per paragraph (d)(3), and electrolytes per paragraph (a)(11), with excipients per paragraph (f), in accordance with FDA and restricted to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian

22) Oxytocin - use in postparturition therapeutic applications

23) Parasiticides - prohibited in slaughter stock, allowed in emergency treatment for dairy and breeder stock when organic system plan-approved preventive management does not prevent infestation. In breeder stock, treatment cannot occur during the last third of gestation if the progeny will be sold as organic and must not be used during the lactation period for breeding stock. Allowed for fiber-bearing animals when used a minimum of 36 days prior to harvesting of fleece or wool that is to be sold, labeled, or represented as organic

i) Fenbendazole - milk or milk products from a treated animal cannot be labeled as provided for in subpart D of this part for:

2 days following treatment of cattle; 36 days following treatment of goats, sheep, and other dairy species

ii) Moxidectin - milk or milk products from a treated animal cannot be labeled as provided for in subpart D of this part for:

2 days following treatment of cattle; 36 days following treatment of goats, sheep, and other dairy species

24) Peroxyacetic/peracetic acid: for sanitizing facility and processing equipment

25) Phosphoric acid: allowed as an equipment cleaner, provided that no direct contact with organically managed livestock or land occurs

26) Poloxalene - to be used only for emergency treatment of bloat

27) Propylene glycol - only for treatment of ketosis in ruminants

(Continued)

Table 20.4 (Continued)

28) Sodium chlorite, acidified - allowed for use on organic livestock as a teat dip treatment only

29) Tolazoline^a - use only to reverse the effects of sedation and analgesia caused by xylazine

30) Xylazine^a

b) As topical treatment, external parasiticide, or local anesthetic as applicable:

1) Copper sulfate

2) Elemental sulfur - for treatment of livestock and livestock housing

3) Formic acid - for use as a pesticide solely within honeybee hives

4) Iodine

5) Lidocaine: as a local anesthetic; use requires a withdrawal period of eight days after administering to livestock intended for slaughter and six days after administering to dairy animals

6) Lime, hydrated: as an external pest control, not permitted to cauterize physical alterations or deodorize animal wastes

7) Mineral oil: for topical use and as a lubricant

8) Procaine: as a local anesthetic; use requires a withdrawal period of 8 days after administering to livestock intended for slaughter and six days after administering to dairy animals

9) Sodium chlorite, acidified - allowed for use on organic livestock as teat dip treatment only

10) Sucrose octanoate esters: in accordance with approved labeling

11) Zinc sulfate - for use in hoof and foot treatments only

c) As feed supplements: None

d) As feed additives:

1) DL-Methionine, DL-Methionine - hydroxy analog, and DL-Methionine - hydroxy analog calcium - for use only in organic poultry production

2) Trace minerals, used for enrichment or fortification when FDA approved

3) Vitamins, used for enrichment or fortification when FDA approved

e) As synthetic inert ingredients - as classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for use with non-synthetic substances or synthetic substances listed in this section and used as an active pesticide ingredient in accordance with any limitations on the use of such substances

1) EPA List 4 - Inert Ingredients of Minimal Concern

f) Excipients - only for use in the manufacture of drugs and biologics used to treat organic livestock when the excipient is:

1) Identified by the FDA as Generally Recognized as Safe;

2) Approved by the FDA as a food additive;

3) Included in the FDA review and approval of a New Animal Drug Application or New Drug Application; or

4) Approved by APHIS for use in veterinary biologics

^a Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the lawful written or oral order of a licensed veterinarian, in full compliance with the AMDUCA and 21 CFR part 530 of the Food and Drug Administration regulations.

AMDUCA, Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act; APHIS, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; FDA, Food and Drug Administration.

four years, during which time unexpected health problems may arise due to the loss of familiar interventions and unfamiliarity with the new. The veterinarian should be ready to work through these difficult periods with the farmer and help with the transition.

Perhaps the biggest health challenge for organic goat production in the United States is control of gastrointesti­nal parasites, because the use of anthelmintics is currently limited to fenbendazole and moxidectin and only under specific circumstances. The risk of parasitism in organic livestock production may be increased compared to con­ventional systems, because organic production systems may depend heavily on use of pastures as a source of feed and, indirectly, as a source of parasites. However, the accel­erating development of anthelmintic resistance in recent years has spurred considerable interest and research in alternative parasite management strategies that depend less on anthelmintic use and more on alternative therapies and pasture management strategies to achieve effective parasite control.

These approaches fit nicely with the objectives of organic livestock production systems, particularly goat production systems. Parasite control approaches compatible with organic livestock production include grazing management strategies that minimize exposure to infective larvae at pas­ture, improved animal nutrition to promote parasite resist­ance, feeding or grazing of forages with high tannin content, selection and breeding programs for parasite resistance, biologic control of parasitic nematodes using nematopha- gous fungi, and the development and use of vaccines against parasites. These options are discussed further in the section on nematode gastroenteritis in Chapter 10. In addition, there is renewed interest in a wide variety of traditional herbal and other phytotherapeutic remedies from around the world that have been reported to or are believed to con­trol parasites. There is no doubt that some of these remedies are effective, and controlled studies are needed to identify those that are most efficacious.

A major component of organic animal healthcare is the use of alternative and complementary therapies, includ­ing homeopathy, phytotherapy, acupuncture, immune augmentation, and vitamin and mineral supplementation. Herbs are used as treatments, but may also be sown in pas­tures to provide both nutrients and prophylaxis against disease, most notably parasites. While modern-day veteri­narians may bemoan the lack of access to antibiotics in controlling disease for organically raised animals, it is use­ful to recall that before the advent of antibiotics in the 1940s, our professional predecessors had to depend heav­ily on botanicals and other natural therapies to effect cures in livestock. Veterinary textbooks published in the 1930s are good sources of information on therapies that were considered useful or reliable before the advent of antibiot­ics (Karreman 2006).

There is a steadily increasing amount of useful informa­tion available to veterinarians interested in organic live­stock production. Symposia have been held on veterinary issues in organic farming, with published proceedings (Thamsborg et al. 2001; Hovi and Vaarst 2002). In addition, national governments and producer groups have produced guidelines, some of which are available via the internet (Australian Government 2007).