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Costs of Mastitis
Mastitis is probably the most costly diseases to affect dairy cows and farm profits. The major components are wasted labour, treatment costs, vet time and drugs, and the necessary discard of abnormal milk and milk containing drug residues.
Averaging for a typical clinical case suggests a net cost per case of £131 (Berry et al. 2004). This takes account of less feed consumed to produce lower yield, a factor not usually considered, and so is probably a realistic estimate. The national cost, given average incidence rates, would be approximately £105 million.* MDC state a figure of £211.00 per case.
Whilst sub clinical mastitis has no direct costs, the infected udder produces up to 5% less milk for every additional 100,000 cells ml in the milk (Hamann 2002). This adds up to a cost two to three times that of the overt disease making the UK losses from mastitis in dairy cows £300 million year. *
2 million cows in the UK and a cost of £300,000,000* equates to £150.00 per year for each cow in the Herd
*J.E. Hillerton and E.A. Berry Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Newbury, UK
Mastitis is probably the most costly diseases to affect dairy cows and farm profits. The major components are wasted labour, treatment costs, vet time and drugs, and the necessary discard of abnormal milk and milk containing drug residues.
Averaging for a typical clinical case suggests a net cost per case of £131 (Berry et al. 2004). This takes account of less feed consumed to produce lower yield, a factor not usually considered, and so is probably a realistic estimate. The national cost, given average incidence rates, would be approximately £105 million.* MDC state a figure of £211.00 per case.
Whilst sub clinical mastitis has no direct costs, the infected udder produces up to 5% less milk for every additional 100,000 cells ml in the milk (Hamann 2002). This adds up to a cost two to three times that of the overt disease making the UK losses from mastitis in dairy cows £300 million year. *
2 million cows in the UK and a cost of £300,000,000* equates to £150.00 per year for each cow in the Herd
*J.E. Hillerton and E.A. Berry Institute for Animal Health, Compton, Newbury, UK