From May 2020 till January 2021 Whole Health Agriculture (WHAg) surveyed 221 livestock farmers who use at least one Complementary and Alternative Medicine/Method (CAM) in their livestock health management. The survey was developed in collaboration with, and piloted by, a group of commercial farmers, 4 dairy, 1 sheep, 1 mixed (beef and poultry) farmer.

The responses of 70 commercial dairy farmers who took the survey are reported in this overview. The minimum unit size per respondent is 10 cows (milkers) the maximum is 900. (Median number of milking cows per farmer = 150.)

There appears to be a growing trend among supermarkets and milk buyers for farmers to reduce antibiotics based on market demand, not just legislation. This is even stronger among the dairy sector with some organic milk buyers aiming to move all their members to Produced Without Antibiotics (PWAB) status.

Based on global health needs, industry trends, and the information on CAMs that our farmers have generously shared with us, WHAg strongly recommends that the potential for CAM-led approaches to livestock health are further investigated and documented, AND that farmers seeking alternatives are better supported, particularly by industry bodies.