Healthy Progress: New Data Highlights the Impact of AHV Herd Health Plans

In a competitive industry where every cow’s productivity matters, AHV’s proactive, data-driven, approach is proving to be a game-changer for dairy farmers committed to smarter, more sustainable practices. The latest report documenting progress on British and Irish farms following AHV’s Herd Health Plan strategy reveals strong results: healthier cows with significantly improved fertility, better udder health, and reduced need for antibiotic treatments.

Fig 1: Average percentage of cows in the herd  > 200,000 cells/ml on 20 HHP farms.  Error bars represent 95% Confidence Limits.

Quantifying Performance: Data Collection and Analysis

AHV collected data from farms that had been on Longevity and Udder Health Plans for at least 6 to 12 months, including all farms with data available (14 farms with fertility data, 20 farms with SCC data and 12 farms with udder health data, including 2,774 cows.

Each farm was benchmarked against its own historical performance (e.g. the same period of the year  preceding the health plan).

While other management factors may co-influence data trends, consistency of trends witnessed across a wide array of farms is informative and would strongly suggest an ‘AHV Health Plan effect’. Trends were tested for statistical significance across all available farms using appropriate statistical tests (e.g. non-parametric Friedman tests and linear regression models).

Key Results: Significant Improvements

Enhanced Fertility

• Conception Rates: Improved by an average of 12% (95%CI 8.7-15.4) across all 14 farms- see Table 1 (p = 0.001).
• Days Open: Reduced by 14.7 days (95%CI 10.7-18.7), meaning cows are getting pregnant faster and productivity is rising- see Table 1 (p = 0.0002).

Better Udder Health

• The 20-farm dataset  showed an overall significant reduction in the percentage of cows with SCC > 200,000 cells/ml (p < 0.0001) with a 50% reduction in cows with SCC > 200,000 cells/ml within the first seven months, stabilising at this lower level as shown in Figure 1. 
• Because animals are healthier, clinical mastitis cases per 100 cows per year decreased by 42% on average (95%CI 27-69%) , with 11 out of 12 farms reporting fewer infections.

Reduced Antibiotic Use

• At the same time as mastitis rates dropping, the amount of antibiotic treatment dispensed to cows for mastitis declined by an impressive 62% (95%CI 46-91%). This reduction is directly attributed to improved animal health, resulting in fewer infections, and the effectiveness of AHV’s natural, quorum-sensing science-based solutions- see Table 2.

Table 2. Antibiotic use for mastitis, expressed as mg/pcu, calculated over 6-12 month time frames before and after the start of a HHP. 

What These Trends Mean for Your Farm

The data speaks for itself: AHV Health Plans are highly likely to keep your cows in the herd for longer while clearing out the sick pen.

In today’s dairy industry, improving sustainability and reducing the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are increasingly emphasised and enforced through milk contracts. The future of dairy depends on preventative animal health solutions that reduce reliance on antibiotics.

AHV Herd Health Plans provide a clear route to achieving these goals, ensuring that your farm becomes not only more profitable but also resilient, responsible, and aligned with the evolving standards of the industry.

Ready to maximise your herd’s potential and keep your cows healthier for longer? Contact our team today at 01769 772070 or fill out our short contact form below.