Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy Farms

Bovine mastitis is a dairy cattle disease with high economic impact. Subclinical mastitis (SCM) contributes to most of the financial losses. Colombia dairy sector accounts for 2.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 24.3% of the livestock GDP. Milk production reaches 6,500 million liters/year f...

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Main Authors: Jaime Romero, Efraín Benavides, Carlos Meza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-11-01
Series:Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2018.00273/full
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author Jaime Romero
Efraín Benavides
Carlos Meza
author_facet Jaime Romero
Efraín Benavides
Carlos Meza
author_sort Jaime Romero
collection DOAJ
description Bovine mastitis is a dairy cattle disease with high economic impact. Subclinical mastitis (SCM) contributes to most of the financial losses. Colombia dairy sector accounts for 2.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 24.3% of the livestock GDP. Milk production reaches 6,500 million liters/year from nearly 500,000 cattle farms and is mainly based on small-scale production systems. This study evaluates the financial impact of SCM and the potential for its control in three dairy farm strata in a region in Colombia. The objectives of the study were 1) to determine the perception of farmers about the SCM problem on their farms, 2) to assess prevalence and financial impact of SCM on farms and in the “Area five” sanitary region of the Bogota plateau, and 3) to assess costs and effectiveness of control methods of SCM. Information about disease management and decision-making process was obtained through a participatory epidemiology workshop and applying a semi-structured survey. A two-stage stratified cross sectional epidemiological study was conducted on dairy cattle from a region with approximately 400 farms and 12,000 cows, with a sample size of 55 farms. Prevalence of SCM was calculated by defining a cow as positive for the disease when any quarter had a somatic cell count (SCC) higher than 250 × 103 cells/ml. The prevalence of SCM in cows was 55.2%; significant differences were found between strata. Assessment of the financial impact of SCM in terms of milk losses was conducted using spreadsheet models. Milk production losses per farm ranged from 1.3% to 13.5%, and the economic impact in the region was estimated over USD $800.000 per year. The financial impact was greater in small- and medium-sized farms than large farms, and it was associated with the severity of SCC per quarter. Principal component analysis showed interactions, irrespective of the individual effect, and suggested three main groups of control interventions: application of basic milking hygiene practices, increase in the level of hygiene practices and veterinary advice, and SCM diagnosis and dry-cow treatment. Lack of information on management and production at farms promotes intuitive decision-making. Further research for the deeper understanding of intervention costs and effectiveness is suggested.
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spelling doaj.art-ff2f842ed8134ccfaf43474a747a3c732022-12-21T19:25:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692018-11-01510.3389/fvets.2018.00273303723Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy FarmsJaime Romero0Efraín Benavides1Carlos Meza2Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, Lima, PeruFaculty of Agricultural Sciences, Universidad de La Salle, Bogota, ColombiaFaculty of Economic and Social Sciences, Universidad de La Salle, Bogota, ColombiaBovine mastitis is a dairy cattle disease with high economic impact. Subclinical mastitis (SCM) contributes to most of the financial losses. Colombia dairy sector accounts for 2.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 24.3% of the livestock GDP. Milk production reaches 6,500 million liters/year from nearly 500,000 cattle farms and is mainly based on small-scale production systems. This study evaluates the financial impact of SCM and the potential for its control in three dairy farm strata in a region in Colombia. The objectives of the study were 1) to determine the perception of farmers about the SCM problem on their farms, 2) to assess prevalence and financial impact of SCM on farms and in the “Area five” sanitary region of the Bogota plateau, and 3) to assess costs and effectiveness of control methods of SCM. Information about disease management and decision-making process was obtained through a participatory epidemiology workshop and applying a semi-structured survey. A two-stage stratified cross sectional epidemiological study was conducted on dairy cattle from a region with approximately 400 farms and 12,000 cows, with a sample size of 55 farms. Prevalence of SCM was calculated by defining a cow as positive for the disease when any quarter had a somatic cell count (SCC) higher than 250 × 103 cells/ml. The prevalence of SCM in cows was 55.2%; significant differences were found between strata. Assessment of the financial impact of SCM in terms of milk losses was conducted using spreadsheet models. Milk production losses per farm ranged from 1.3% to 13.5%, and the economic impact in the region was estimated over USD $800.000 per year. The financial impact was greater in small- and medium-sized farms than large farms, and it was associated with the severity of SCC per quarter. Principal component analysis showed interactions, irrespective of the individual effect, and suggested three main groups of control interventions: application of basic milking hygiene practices, increase in the level of hygiene practices and veterinary advice, and SCM diagnosis and dry-cow treatment. Lack of information on management and production at farms promotes intuitive decision-making. Further research for the deeper understanding of intervention costs and effectiveness is suggested.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2018.00273/fullanimal health economicsbovine mastitisproducers attitudesproduction systemveterinary epidemiology
spellingShingle Jaime Romero
Efraín Benavides
Carlos Meza
Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy Farms
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
animal health economics
bovine mastitis
producers attitudes
production system
veterinary epidemiology
title Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy Farms
title_full Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy Farms
title_fullStr Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy Farms
title_full_unstemmed Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy Farms
title_short Assessing Financial Impacts of Subclinical Mastitis on Colombian Dairy Farms
title_sort assessing financial impacts of subclinical mastitis on colombian dairy farms
topic animal health economics
bovine mastitis
producers attitudes
production system
veterinary epidemiology
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fvets.2018.00273/full
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AT efrainbenavides assessingfinancialimpactsofsubclinicalmastitisoncolombiandairyfarms
AT carlosmeza assessingfinancialimpactsofsubclinicalmastitisoncolombiandairyfarms