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ABSTRACT A survey was sent to dairy producers from Ontario and the Western provinces of Canada to assess the recording of the 8 health traits of interest in the National Health Project. The survey consisted of 16 multiple choice questions related to the number of health traits recorded, the herd's participation in the National Health Database Project and the frequency of data collecting.

The survey was sent to 1,716 dairy producers and answered by 459 producers; a participation rate of about 25% was achieved. Of the herds collecting health data, more than 70% were transmitting health data to the central database and 80% of the herds collecting data were in a herd management program with a veterinarian. Producers recorded event data for 1 to 8 health traits. The traits collected in the largest number of herds were mastitis, left displaced abomasum and retained placenta. These three diseases have clear diagnostic criteria and have a large impact on the economic performance of dairy production. The traits with the lowest herd participation in recording were lameness, ketosis, metritis, and cystic ovarian disease. The last 3 traits are more difficult to diagnose as they need a veterinary or technician intervention. In the case of lameness, the trait has many different causes and the location of the inciting cause is not always recorded accurately. For milk fever, some producers recorded prophylactic treatments whereas others recorded only clinical disease or treatments. This wide variation in recording methods showed the need for extension work directed towards Canadian dairy producers to improve the quality of health data recording to be used in …