Health and welfare of farm animals, as well as antimicrobial usage (AMU) and the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), are ongoing concerns for farmers, consumers, and society. To assess health and welfare of farm animals, specific animal-based and data-based indicators are required. For dairy cattle, the number of established indicators and amount of available health data has increased substantially in the recent years. With the use of existing welfare protocols and expert opinion in a previous study[1], we have put together a set of health and welfare indicators (HWI) for dairy cattle. Another major concern in farmed animals is AMU and its associations with animal health. In Switzerland, dairy cows are of particular interest, because they contribute in large parts to the total AMU for livestock[2]. The evaluation of AMU in Switzerland is facilitated by data from the recently implemented «information-system on AMU in veterinary medicine» (IS-ABV). Data from IS-ABV, especially information on excessive use and misuse of antimicrobial agents will be of interest to study the relationship between AMU and AMR-patterns in dairy cow farms.
