[Use of the computer in herd health programmes (author's transl)]

To ensure efficient management, a continuous flow of information should be available to the farmer. This can be achieved by external or internal data-processing systems. In external systems, farm data is automatically processed by a central computer in the majority of cases. The practical drawback to internal data-processing systems is that analysis has to be done manually. This disadvantage can be overcome when the computer is brought to the farm. However, this development is currently hampered by a lack of tested programmes. It is essential that effective programmes should be developed quickly. In addition, it would be advantageous if external and internal information could be complementary and interchangeable. This would warrant the establishment of a nation-wide data bank.