Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-v2bm5 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-11T01:03:04.750Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Costs of mastitis: facts and perception

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2008

Kirsten Huijps ,
Theo JGM Lam  and
Henk Hogeveen
Kirsten Huijps*
Affiliation:
Department of Farm Animal Health, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Theo JGM Lam
Affiliation:
Dutch Udder Health Centre, Deventer, The Netherlands
Henk Hogeveen
Affiliation:
Department of Farm Animal Health, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands Chair Group Business Economics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: k.huijps@uu.nl
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A model to calculate the economic losses of mastitis on an average Dutch dairy farm was developed and used as base for a tool for farmers and advisors to calculate farm-specific economic losses of mastitis. The economic losses of a clinical case in a default situation were calculated as €210, varying from €164 to €235 depending on the month of lactation. The total economic losses of mastitis (subclinical and clinical) per cow present in a default situation varied between €65 and €182/cow per year depending on the bulk tank somatic cell count. The tool was used to measure perception of the total economic losses of mastitis on the farm and the farmers' assessment of the cost factors of mastitis on 78 dairy farms, of which 64 were used for further analyses. Most farmers (72%) expected their economic losses to be lower than those revealed by our calculation made with their farm information. Underestimating the economic losses of mastitis can be regarded as a general problem in the dairy sector. The average economic losses assessed by the farmers were €78/cow per year, but a large variation was given, €17–198/cow per year. Although the average assessment of the farmers of the different cost factors is close to the default value, there is much variation. To improve the adoption rate of advice and lower the incidence of mastitis, it is important to show the farmers the economic losses of mastitis on their farm. The tool described in this paper can play a role in that process.

Keywords

Economic lossescostsmastitisperceptionfarmers
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 75 , Issue 1 , February 2008 , pp. 113 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bar, D, Gröhn, YT, Bennett, G, Gonzalez, RN, Hertl, JA, Schulte, HF, Tauer, LW, Welcome, FL & Schukken, YH 2007 Effect of repeated episodes of generic clinical mastitis on milk yield in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 90 4643–4653CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barkema, HW, Schukken, YH, Lam, TJGM, Beiboer, ML, Wilmink, H, Benedictus, G & Brand, A 1998 Incidence of clinical mastitis in dairy herds grouped in three categories by bulk milk somatic cell counts. Journal of Dairy Science 81 411–419CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Haas, Y, Barkema, HW & Veerkamp, RF 2002 The effect of pathogen-specific clinical mastitis on the lactation curve for somatic cell count. Journal of Dairy Science 85 1314–1323CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gill, R, Howard, WH, Leslie, KE & Lissemore, K 1990 Economics of mastitis control. Journal of Dairy Science 73 3340–3348CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gröhn, YT, Wilson, DJ, Gonzalez, RN, Hertl, JA, Schulte, H, Bennett, G & Schukken, YH 2004 Effect of pathogen specific clinical mastitis on milk yield in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 87 3358–3374CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Halasa, TH, Huijps, K, Østerås, O & Hogeveen, H 2007 Economic effects of bovine mastitis and mastitis management: A review. Veterinary Quarterly 29 18–31CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hogeveen, H & Østerås, O 2005 Mastitis management in an economic framework Mastitis in Dairy Production. Current knowledge and future solutions. 4th IDF International Mastitis Conference Maastricht, pp. 41–52. The Netherlands: Wageningen Academic PublishersCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hortet, P & Seegers, H 1998 Calculated milk production losses associated with elevated somatic cell counts in dairy cows: review and critical discussion. Veterinary Research 29 497–510Google ScholarPubMed
Huijps, K & Hogeveen, H 2007 Stochastic modelling to determine the economic effects of blanket, selective and no dry cow therapy. Journal of Dairy Science 90 1225–1234CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuiper, D, Jansen, J, Renes, RJ, Leeuwis, C & Van der Zwaag, HG 2005 Social factors related to mastitis and control practices: The role of dairy farmers' knowledge, attitude, values, behaviour and networks Mastitis in Dairy Production. Current knowledge and future solutions. 4th IDF International Mastitis Conference Maastricht, pp. 567–582. The Netherlands: Wageningen Academic PublishersCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lam, TJGM, Jansen, J, Van den Borne, BHP & Van Veersen, J 2007 A structural approach of udder health improvement via private practitioners: ups and downs. NMC Annual Meeting 2007 San Antonio TX, USA pp 142–151.Google Scholar
Lucey, S & Rowlands, GJ 1984 The association between clinical mastitis and milk yield in dairy cows. Animal Production 39 165–175Google Scholar
McInerney, JP 1996 Old economics for new problems – livestock disease: presidential address. Journal of Agricultural Economics 47 295–314CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schepers, JA & Dijkhuizen, AA 1991 The economics of mastitis and mastitis control in dairy cattle – a critical analysis of estimates published since 1970. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 10 213–224CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schepers, JA, Lam, TJGM, Schukken, YH, Wilmink, JBM & Hanekamp, WJA 1997 Estimation of variance components for somatic cell counts to determine threshold for uninfected quarters. Journal of Dairy Science 80 1833–1840CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schukken, YH, Leslie, KE, Weersink, AJ & Martin, SW 1992 Ontario bulk milk somatic cell count reduction program 1. Impact on somatic cell counts and milk quality. Journal of Dairy Science 75 3352–3358CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stott, AW, Jones, GM, Gunn, GJ, Chase-Topping, M, Humphry, RW, Richardson, H & Logue, DN 2002 Optimum replacement policies for the control of subclinical mastitis due to S. aureus in dairy cows. Journal of Agricultural Economics 53 627–644CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tversky, A & Kahneman, D 1986 Rational choice and the framing of decisions. Journal of Business 59 251–278CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaarst, M, Laarup-Laursen, B, Houe, H, Fossing, C & Andersen, HJ 2002 Farmers' choice of medical treatment of mastitis in Danish dairy herds based on qualitative research interviews. Journal of Dairy Science 85 992–1002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Valeeva, NI, Lam, TJGM & Hogeveen, H 2007 Motivation of dairy farmers to improve mastitis management. Journal of Dairy Science 90 4466–4477CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van den Borne, BHP, Van Schaik, H, De Jong, G, Lam, TJGM 2006 Determination of a definition of subclinical mastitis incidence based on somatic cell counts in the Netherlands. In Proceedings of the 11th Symposium of the International Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Cairns, Australia, pp. 609–612.Google Scholar