Economic Impact of Mastitis in Dairy Cows: Case study of Tehran Province, Iran

Abstract

Objective: Mastitis is the most important and costly health disorder in dairy farms around the world. The aim of this study is to estimate the economic impact of mastitis in dairy herds in Tehran province. Design: Data triangulation. Methods: Data of this study were gathered using a questioner which was collected by 135 farmers in Tehran province together with 25 faculty members and DVSc graduations of the faculty of veterinary medicine of university of Tehran. Using former studies, the imposed costs of mastitis were included as milk disposal, milk decline, cost of veterinarian to exam and treat affected cows, cost of medicine, increase in day open due to mastitis, income due to declining the consumption of food. Results: The economic damage of mastitis is in average 491.86 dollars will be imposed every year on industrial dairy farms located in Tehran province. The most important components of this damage are milk decline (62.18%), milk loss in 7 days after affection (24.09%) and drug due treatment (6.77%). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, mastitis plays an important role on the economy of dairy farms in Iran.