Cost benefit models
One way that you can make the most of farm health planning is to know what the potential cost of disease is on your farm and the likely benefits of disease control. As part of the Farm Health Planning partnership several key industry organisations have been working with the University of Reading to develop a series of models that estimate the costs associated with various diseases and the benefits of preventing or treating disease. The models allow the user to input farm specific details and disease assumptions and then to explore the associated cost outcomes and the difference that different measures for disease control might make.
The models have a number of potential uses. They can be used by a vet or adviser with a farmer to explore the possible costs associated with a disease and the likely benefits of different methods of control. They can act as a useful ‘conversation tool’ to discuss with farmers their disease control methods. The models can also be used as a demonstration tool with farmers or farmer groups to show farmers the risks that their business might face due to a particular disease and how different control measures can help to reduce those risks, and at what potential cost.
The first six diseases to be studied were BVD and digital dermatitis in dairy cattle, ectoparasites and lameness in sheep, enzootic pneumonia in pigs and coccidiosis in poultry.
The first six models have been developed, validated and tested in full consultation with the industry and have been demonstrated at various shows, industry workshops and meetings. The BVD (dairy), digital dermatitis (dairy), enzootic pneumonia and coccidiosis models are now available for download from the University of Reading website at www.reading.ac.uk/fhpmodels. The two sheep models will follow shortly
The University of Reading is now in the process of developing the second set of six models – Johne’s disease in dairy and beef cattle, BVD in beef cattle, liver fluke in sheep, PRRS in pigs and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in poultry.
Page last modified:
December 27, 2007
Page published: 17 May 2007