Production effects related to mastitis and mastitis economics in dairy cattle herds

Abstract

-Mastitis is the most prevalent production disease in dairy herds world-wide and is responsible for several production effects. Milk yield and composition can be affected by a more or less severe short-term depression and, in case of no cure, by a long-acting effect, and, sometimes, an overlapping effect to the next lactation. Summary values in the literature for losses of milk production were proposed at 375 kg for a clinical case (5% at the lactation level) and at 0.5 kg per 2-fold increase of crude SCC of a cow. Due to the withdrawal period after treatment, composition changes in milk can almost be neglected in economic calculations. Lethality rate for clinical mastitis is very low on the average, while anticipated culling occurs more frequently after clinical and subclinical mastitis (relative risk between 1.5 and 5.0). The economics of mastitis needs to be addressed at the farm level and, per se, depends on local and regional epidemiological, managerial and economic conditions. To assess the direct economic impact of mastitis, costs (i.e. extra resource use) and losses (i.e. reduced revenues) have to be aggregated. To support decision making for udder health control, it is necessary to use a marginal approach, based on the comparison of the losses avoided and the additional costs of modified plans, compared to the existing ones.

Which preventive measures against mastitis can increase the technical efficiency of dairy farms?

“…These results support previous findings of the substantial cost associated with mastitis (Kossaibati and Esslemont, 1997;Seegers et al, 2003;Hagnestam-Nielsen and Østergaard, 2009) and the hampering effects mastitis has on the economic outcome of the farm (Hansson, 2007).…”

“…Mastitis is a disease with severe economic consequences for farmers because of its high incidence and the extensive costs associated with the disease: it is considered the most costly disease in dairy production (Degraves and Fetrow, 1993;Kossaibati and Esslemont, 1997;Seegers et al, 2003). Several European studies report cost estimates per case of clinical mastitis in the range of h210 to 428 (Østergaard et al, 2005;Huijps et al, 2008;Hagnestam-Nielsen and Østergaard, 2009).…”

Economic impact of clinical mastitis in a dairy herd assessed by stochastic simulation using different methods to model yield losses

“…The decision to cull a mastitic cow in order to increase the average milk yield per cow and decrease the SCC in the bulk tank, and thus incur a replacement cost, illustrates the way in which dynamics within the herd impact on herd-level economy (Seegers et al, 2003). Such dynamics require the economic impact of CM to be addressed at herd level, preferably with a methodology capable of reflecting the consequences of different management strategies.…”

“…Such dynamics require the economic impact of CM to be addressed at herd level, preferably with a methodology capable of reflecting the consequences of different management strategies. Stochastic simulation has therefore been suggested to be the most relevant method to use when studying the effects of CM in a dairy herd (Dijkhuizen et al, 1995;Allore and Erb, 1999;Seegers et al, 2003).…”

“…The definition of a case of mastitis also differs from one study to another. Any generalization of results should therefore be made with caution, and evaluations of the economic consequences of CM based on the effects of the disease on production should be conducted for a specific herd and in a specific economic context; this will result in more usable figures (Seegers et al, 2003).…”