Laser treatment is ecologist Jacob Bonde's alternative to antibiotics and high veterinary bills.

Grazing cows around St. Gaasdal near Skjern look like all other organic cows: Fresh grass, freedom, and open sky.

But the farm's 700 dairy cows have something quite special in common: None of them have ever been treated with antibiotics.

If they have any issues, alternative methods are used – primarily a mobile laser, which feed manager Thor Christensen carries out into the barn in a small plastic box on this day.

Now, cow 9411 is to receive a preventive treatment because it is suffering from high somatic cell counts in the right forequarter – something that could potentially develop into mastitis.

"I'll start by milking it out. And then it gets an eight-minute treatment," explains Thor Christensen as he enters appropriate values on a mobile display.

After he hand-milks the gland, the laser head with the red light is brought up to the udder.

Antibiotic-free herds

St. Gaasdal is part of Thise Dairy's 21 antibiotic-free herds. This requires the farm to have options for treating the animals in other ways, and laser treatment has become the primary method.

The small handy device has also saved on veterinary costs.

"I would go so far as to say that the vet bill has decreased by between a quarter and a third," assesses Jacob Bonde as we see the feed manager move a device that almost looks like a handheld shower with red light over the cow's udder.

Jacob Bonde estimates that after treatment, the cows feel better again eight times out of ten – without needing further treatment.

"So I think we actually have a OK success rate with it," he says.

Laser treatment gains ground

At Organic Advisory Denmark, dairy advisors experience that more and more dairy producers are using laser treatment – typically for mild cases of mastitis.

"The farmer usually treats her with the laser for three days, and then she is healthy and ready to produce again – without any withdrawal time for antibiotics, which would obviously cause a production loss for the farmer. And using antibiotics where it might not be necessary," explains dairy advisor Birgitte Kjemtrup Høyer from Organic Advisory Denmark.

Treatment requires patience

In large herds, the treatment can be time-consuming, and therefore it is typically a patient employee who handles the task, she experiences.

"It's not something you can rush through – then it doesn't work. But if you have the right person with the right patience, then it works," she assures.

At Jacob Bonde's farm, it is usually feed manager Thor Christensen and two younger employees who operate the laser. The treatment requires more patience than Jacob Bonde himself can muster, he explains with a smile.

"You need to find a man who finds it exciting and fun. And who also has the patience to go and do it. And to enjoy the small victories that come from getting a cow back to good health," he says.

Does not compromise animal welfare

For him, it is also important that the treatment does not compromise animal welfare.

"Of course, we evaluate that. And many times we also have the vet out to give pain relief. Then we try to treat with the laser, and if it doesn't succeed, we also have to let the vet treat it. But I don't think it harms animal welfare. You need to determine when it is responsible and when it isn't," he says.

The dairy advisor also believes that it does not harm animal welfare – and that skilled farmers can treat with laser in a fully responsible manner.

"Farmers are quite good at seeing if their animals are sick or not, and if the animal develops a fever, they should of course call the vet," points out Birgitte Kjemtrup Høyer.

"With the laser, you can treat the animal immediately. It doesn't need to be punctured, and there's also stress involved when she has to be taken away from the others and stand and wait. I actually think that animal welfare is improved by using it – but it requires that you use it thoughtfully," she concludes.

Antibiotics as a last resort

While Thor Christensen sits beside cow 9411 and periodically moves the laser light around the cow's udder, she remains completely still and appears very unaffected.

"They quickly realize that it isn't uncomfortable – and that it actually feels quite pleasant for them," he says.

If the laser treatment fails, the veterinarian will of course resort to medical treatment – including antibiotics if necessary. But then the cow can no longer produce milk for Thise Dairy and is removed from production.

On the farm, the laser is used almost exclusively against mastitis, while elsewhere it is also used against, for example, hoof abscesses. At Organic Advisory Denmark, Birgitte Kjemtrup Høyer observes that the method is gaining ground – now also outside organic farming.

"Some dairies are further along in the process than others. And perhaps some slaughterhouses would like to promote that we can actually produce food without antibiotics. This can help promote Danish food production: When you choose Danish-produced animal products in the grocery store, you also have a certain assurance that the use of antibiotics has been kept to a minimum. So I am confident there is a future in this," she says.

The article is written as part of the project 'Animal Welfare as a Branding Factor for Organic Farming' supported by the Foundation for Organic Agriculture.