Is animal health management of cattle herds consistent with environmental concerns?
Résumé
Livestock farming is at the core of many societal concerns, including the preservation of the environment and of the animal health and welfare. This article follows two objectives, (i) the analysis of the role of preventive practices and veterinary expenditures on the prevalence of animal diseases using a logistic model applied to original data about French cattle farms, and (ii) the joint assessment of the economic, health and environmental performances of these farms. The results highlight the challenge for farmers to deal with environmental concerns as well as health concerns, while managing of economic viability of the production unit.