MEETING WITH MARIE-EMELYNE SCHMIDT IN THE SERVICE OF ANIMAL WELL-BEING IN PDO ABONDANCE
Veterinarian doctor in Evian les Bains, Marie-Emelyne follows and treats pets but also those from the Abondance appellation area. To fully understand the importance of veterinary monitoring in our herds, Marie Emelyne will explain to us how she works with breeders in the Abondance valley and the Gavot plateau.
I make around a hundred visits per year to part of the AOP territory, to 20 farms, like here at GAEC Grillet Aubert, producer of Abondance farmer. My work is important because production and therefore profitability for the breeder obviously depend on the well-being of the animal. All visits begin with questioning the breeder, then examining the cow. A discussion follows with the breeder in order to obtain informed consent on the implementation taking into account the value of the animal and its production (milk/meat). Each visit ends with monitoring of the farm in order to prevent the transmission of a disease to other cows if there is a risk.
For all cows, good nutrition and a healthy and suitable environment help to avoid many problems for the animal’s health. High altitude pastures are extremely effective in our region. Indeed, harsh winters and changes in temperature allow a significant reduction in parasitism (flies, intestinal worms) which do not tolerate these conditions well, unlike our Abondance cows
The alpine pasture allows the cows to benefit from large areas, promoting daily exercise and healthy feet. Finally, high-altitude grass is a food of choice where a wide variety of botanical species flourish, because they are natural or mown meadows, which provide exceptional taste quality to the milk.
I like working with Abondance farms, because they are on a human scale. Animals have good relationships with humans, who take care of them from a very young age, which makes them more docile and tolerant of contact and care. Character, habit, the breeders know each of their cows perfectly, which helps me in detecting diseases from which they may suffer.
We are jointly fighting against udder damage to meet the quality requirements linked to raw milk. We also work on reproduction, because it is important that the cows are fertile, without a calf, no milk.
I also often intervene to prevent or treat locomotion pathologies, in particular foot infections, and infectious and contagious diseases (calf diarrhea, broncho pneumonia, or even traumatic reticuloperitonitis).