Mastitis Is an Economic Problem

Mastitis is an economic problem. As with many other cattle diseases, the economic damage of mastitis, either clinical or sub-clinical, can be brought down to a few categories: milk production losses, drugs, discarded milk, veterinarian, labour, milk quality, culling, clinical mastitis, sub-clinical mastitis and other diseases. Management decisions can be taken at various levels: the quarter level (e.g. drying off a single quarter), the quarter/cow level (e.g. treating clinical or sub-clinical mastitis), the cow level (e.g. culling a cow with clinical or sub-clinical mastitis), the herd level (e.g. changes in management such as barn and milking hygiene) and the national or regional level (e.g. improving extension services). Using the basic cost elements around mastitis and mastitis management, costs and benefits can be calculated for different circumstances. The average costs under Dutch circumstances of a case of clinical mastitis are estimated to be €277 and €168 for cows in early and late lactation respectively. For UK circumstances the average costs are estimated to be £203. On average, treatment of chronic sub-clinical mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis is €15 more expensive than not treating. The outcome of this calculation is very dependent on assumptions regarding transmission of infection. Blanket dry cow therapy, as a strategy is economically preferred over selective dry cow therapy. Factors affecting this decision are the level of intramammary infections during the dry period, the cost of antibiotics and the (spontaneous) cure rate. However, it is difficult to translate this type of generic advice to individual farmers. Many times generic economic calculations are not specific enough. Each cow, farm and region differs for production circumstances and price levels. Therefore, economic calculations should be as specific as possible.