Mastitis management in an economic framework

As with many other cattle diseases, the economic damage of mastitis, either clinical or subclinical, can be brought down to a few categories: Milk production losses, drugs, discarded milk, veterinarian, labour, milk quality, culling, clinical mastitis, subclinical mastitis and other diseases. The costs for these factors might differ between countries and regions there fore it is hard to give conclusive answers on the costs of mastitis and the benefits of mastitis management. 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 subclinical mastitis), the cow level (e.g., culling a cow with clinical or subclinical 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. A good economic analysis starts with the costs associated with different types of mastitis. Using this basis, economic effects of management changes at all decision levels can be made. Many times generic economic calculations are not specific enough for the situation. Each cows, farms and regions differ for production circumstances and price levels. Therefore economic calculations should be as specific as possible.