Abstract

Erdal Yaylak, Ibrahim Kaya, Volkan Cundar and Ahmet Gevrek

In this research, in some districts of Izmir province, damage types, causes of damage, ages at which the damage occured and hot carcass weights of Holstein cattle which are under the scope of state supported livestock insurance and which were slaughtered involuntarily due to various reasons, which died, aborted or whose calves died, were examined. The research data were obtained from the damage reports prepared by Agricultural Insurances Pool (AIP) experts and records kept by slaughterhouses. Damage types that are subject to compensation in dairy cattle are classified by AIP under four groups: involuntary slaughtering, death, abortion and calf death. The distribution percentages of the 215 damage reports into groups of involuntary slaughtering, death, abortion and calf death were found as 53.5, 6.5, 13.5 and 26.5% respectively. The mean herd leaving ages due to death and involuntary slaughtering were found to be 42.6 months and 52.4 months, respectively. In involuntary slaughtering, the causes of damage were separated into five groups as udder disorders, reproduction and calving problems (excluding abortion), digestive tract disorders, foot and leg problems, and injury and other problems. In the 115 cattle that were involuntarily slaughtered, the distribution percentages of the above causes were 51.3, 17.4, 11.3, 7.8 and 12.2%, respectively. The mean carcass weights of involuntarily slaughtered cattle were 224, 216, 198 and 204 kg for winter, spring, summer and autumn, respectively (P<0.10). The overall mean was 216 kg. Although the number of companies active in agricultural insurance is 22, it was observed that the cattle examined in our research were insured by only 4 companies. Livestock insurance is a practice which could help with the healthy development of the livestock sector.