Demands for improvement in water quality used for animals are increasing. However, very little evidence of major problems exists to support these concerns. His statement could infer water quality does not play a role in animal health - it does.
Water is essential for health and life.
However, very little research done under farm conditions is available to determine whether or not water is involved in animal health problems. Recent research revealed no relationship between losses on randomly selected swine farms and water quality. About 10 percent of the farms had coliform bacteria counts above acceptable levels and total dissolved solids on most farms were well below risk levels.2 Concerns about water quality for livestock include the effect on animal per- formance, the spread of disease and the safety of animal products for human consumption. In nearly all instances where animals ingest higher than recom- mended levels of normal constituents in water, there is no residue problem in the meat or milk. Water is an essential ingredient in the animal body.