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Home » Archive » 2022

TDK conference 2022

The veterinary drug costs with special regard to antibiotics on large Hungarian dairy cattle farms
Steenkamp Mathao - year 6
University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Department of Veterinary Forensics, Law and Economics
Supervisors: Dr. László Ózsvári, Dr. Attila Dobos

Abstract:

In this study we surveyed the veterinary drug costs with special regard to antibiotics and the major production parameters in 8 large Hungarian dairy cattle farms with an average of 864 cows per herd between 2015-2017. We assessed the distribution of the veterinary drug costs by product groups, indication and antibiotic usage by product categories and indication. In the studied period the annual average cost of veterinary drugs per cow was €77.2 and the annual average cost of veterinary drugs per litre milk was 0.82 eurocent. Regarding the product groups, antibiotics were responsible for the largest cost share (39.6%) on average, but their proportion gradually decreased from 42.3% to 35.9% over the three-year period. Antimicrobials were followed by hormones (21.8%), vaccines (15.9%), surgical and medical products (11.9%), vitamins and supplements (5.8%) and antiparasitics (4.9%). In the surveyed period the cost share of hormones, and surgical and medical products reduced, but all the others grew, especially the cost proportion of vaccines. According to indication 29.7% of the total veterinary drug cost was spent on udder diseases, 26.4% on reproductive disorders, 11.8% on lameness, 11.5% on gastrointestinal diseases, 10.0% on respiratory diseases, 4.9% on parasitic control, 4.6% on metabolic diseases and 1.1% on other surgical and medical treatments. Furthermore, the yearly average antibiotic cost was €30.6 per cow, and the yearly average antibiotic cost per litre milk was 0.32 eurocent. Of the total antibiotic cost mastitis treatments averaged 51.9%, lameness accounted for 27.8%, respiratory and digestive diseases for 12.1% and reproductive failures (e.g. metritis) for 8.3%. Considering the antibiotic groups, 63.2% of the total antibiotic cost was spent on cephalosporins, 11.1% on fluoroquinolones and 9.6% on different antibiotic combinations (e.g. penicillins and aminoglycosides, amoxicillin and clavulanic acid), followed by tetracyclines, macrolides, penicillins and others. Our results show that in the surveyed herds the number of cows and the milk yield increased each year, however, the average annual veterinary drug cost per cow and per litre milk stagnated or mildly diminished between 2015 and 2017. Antibiotics still accounted for most of the total veterinary drug cost, continuously decreasing during the studied period, at the same time the cost share of vaccines considerably increased, which can be regarded a good direction regarding the targeted reduction of use of antimicrobials.



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