Since 2010, the University of Reading has conducted annual benchmarking of key performance indicators for 500 Holstein/Friesian UK dairy herds. Each study covers >70 different parameters describing aspects of fertility, production and health. The principal objectives of the studies are to provide farmers and their technical advisers with accurate and current benchmarking of key performance indicators as the basis for discussion and target setting at herd level.

The source of data were the monthly milk records obtained by National Milk Records (NMR). The 500 herds used in the study all fully milk record on a monthly basis and account for approximately 10% of herds recorded by NMR. The herds were all predominantly comprised of black and white breeds (Holstein, Holstein-Friesian, Friesian) and had recorded for a minimum of two years. For each parameter, the first quartile, median, third quartile and interquartile range were calculated. The target value used by InterHerd+ is the level achieved or bettered by 25% of the herds in the study. This value is the “better” of the first quartile (25%) or third quartile (75%) values.

In 2022, longevity showed a slight improvement, although longevity has generally worsened since 2010. The median age at exit has decreased from 6.6 to 6.0 years. Fertility parameters have continually improved, for example the median proportion of cows which conceived by 100 days post-partum increased by 13%. In contrast to recent years, milk production per cow per year (8,708 kg) was slightly lower than previous year, although protein (3.33%) and fat (4.18%) contents showed marginal improvements. Somatic cell count (SCC) continued to improve, the median SCC was 166 (0’000 cells /ml of milk) and median level of chronic cows was 8%, compared to a median SCC of 210 and median level of chronic cows of 14% in 2010.

To access the full key performance indicators (KPIs) report for 2022, please click HERE

To access previous annual reports, please click HERE

Media - Dairy health and fertility continue upward trend, NMR report shows - Farmers Weekly (fwi.co.uk)