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Cost-benefit analysis of management practices for ewes lame with footrot

Winter, JR; Green, LE; (2017) Cost-benefit analysis of management practices for ewes lame with footrot. The Veterinary Journal , 220 pp. 1-6. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.11.010. Green open access

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the cost-benefit of different strategies to treat and control ovine footrot. In November 2006, 162 sheep farmers in England responded to a survey on prevalence and management of lameness. The costs of lameness per ewe per year (PEPY) were calculated for 116 flocks. Linear regression was used to model the overall cost of lameness PEPY by management method. Associations between farmer satisfaction and time and money spent managing lameness were investigated. The median prevalence of lameness was 5% (inter-quartile range, IQR, 4-10%). The overall cost of lameness PEPY in flocks with ≥10% lameness was UK £6.35 versus £3.90 for flocks with <5% lameness. Parenteral antibiotic treatment was associated with a significantly lower overall cost of lameness by £0.79 PEPY. Routine foot trimming and foot bathing were associated with significantly higher overall costs of lameness PEPY of £2.96 and £0.90, respectively. Farmers satisfied with time managing lameness spent significantly less time (1.46 h PEPY) than unsatisfied farmers (1.90 h PEPY). Farmers satisfied with money spent managing lameness had significantly lower treatment (£2.94 PEPY) and overall (£5.00 PEPY) costs than dissatisfied farmers (£5.50 and £7.60 PEPY, respectively). If the farmers in this study adopted best practice of parenteral antibiotic treatment with no routine foot trimming, and minimised foot bathing to treatment/prevention of interdigital dermatitis, the financial benefits would be approximately £4.65 PEPY. If these costs are similar on other farms the management changes would lead to significant economic benefits for the sheep industry.

Type: Article
Title: Cost-benefit analysis of management practices for ewes lame with footrot
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.11.010
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.11.010
Language: English
Additional information: © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This manuscript version is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial Non-derivative 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work for personal and non-commercial use providing author and publisher attribution is clearly stated. Further details about CC BY licenses are available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/. Access may be initially restricted by the publisher.
Keywords: Financial costs, Footrot, Lameness, Management practices, Sheep
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health > Infection and Population Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1544556
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