Diseases in farm livestock

European Commission Directorate-General For Agriculture And Rural Development Directorate-General For The Information Society And Media

Description

Economics and policy
Agricultural and fisheries research
Veterinary sector and animal health

Sujets

• Agricultural policy
• Resource allocation
• Veterinary medicine
• Proceedings

Informations

• Publié par: EUROPEAN-COMMISSION-DIRECTORATE-GENERAL-FOR-AGRICULTURE-AND-RURAL-DEVELOPMENT-DI
• Nombre de lectures: 31
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

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Commission of the European Communities
***
AGRICULTURE
Disease in farm livestock.
Economics and policy
Report
EUR 11285 EN Commission of the European Communities
AGRICULTURE
Disease in farm livestock: }
Economics and poiicy
Proceedings of a symposium in the Community pro­
gramme for coordination of agricultural research, 1 to 3
July 1987, Exeter
Edited by
K.S. Howe and J. P. Mclnerney
Agricultural Economics Unit,
Department of Economics,
University of Exeter
United Kingdom
Sponsored by the
Commission of the European Communities
Directorate­General for Agriculture
Coordination of Agricultural Research
PARI EURC*. ribüoth.
N.C.ÍE! 'Ì ■
1987 EUR 11285 EN
CL Published by the
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
Directorate-General
Telecommunications, Information Industries and Innovation
Bâtiment Jean Monnet
LUXEMBOURG
LEGAL NOTICE
Neither the Commission of the European Communities nor any person acting on
behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the
following Information
Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication
Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1987
ISBN 92-825-7728-7
Catalogue number: CD-NA-11285-EN-C
© ECSC-EEC-EAEC, Brussels • Luxembourg, 1987
Printed In Luxembourg CONTENTS
Page
Preface 1
Editors' Introduction 3
Disease Losses in the European Community
L L Barros and K S Howe 9
An Economist'B Approach to Estimating Disease Losses
J P Mclnerney 35
The Allocation of National and Community Resources
to Control or Eradication Schemes
E Stougaard 61
Principles and Problems of Benefit-Cost Analysis
for Disease Control Schemes
A D James9
The Use of Estimates of Disease Loss as a Basis for
Allocating Resources to Research Programmes
S A Hall 7
Resource Allocation for Animal Health Research
G Van Dijk and A P Verkaik 8
The Economics and Utilisation of Veterinary Services
to the Individual Pig Producer
M R Muirhead 103
Economic Aspects of Disease for the Individual
Pig Producer: A Farm Management View
A A Dijkhuizen 12
Information Requirements, Funding Priorities and
Resource Allocation in the Field of Animal Health
A Thieme Jr 137
The Collection of Data to Support Decision-Making
at the Farm Level
J P Noordhuizen, P Dobbelaar, A Brand, H J Wilbrink, J Buurman 153
Outcomes and Issues
G Davies 169
Editors' Commentary 173
Invited Participants 187 PREFACE
This book is the report of a Symposium on the theme of economics and
policy in relation to farm livestock disease which took place at the
University of Exeter, July 1-3, 1987. The Symposium was held under the
auspices of the Commission of the European Communities (CEC), and
representatives from 13 different countries were invited. These included
academics, research workers and administrators associated with animal
disease control programmes, with a disciplinary concentration in
veterinary science and in economics.
The editors wish to acknowledge the financial and planning assistance
provided by thé CEC, who supported the Symposium as part of their
programme for Co-ordinated Agricultural Research of the European Economic
Community Í1984-88). Particular thanks are due to Gareth Davies and
Jim Connell who gave generously of their time and expertise in guiding the
preparation of this event. Arie Brand, Peter Hinrichs and Jan Renkema
also were members of the planning group which drew up the objectives and
structure of the Symposium. Those who presented papers and the
participants who contributed to the discussions deserve recognition for
their help in developing and clarifying ideas that are presented herein.
Finally, and not least, Marilyn Pinn provided indispensable assistance in
the organisation of the Symposium, and in the preparation of this volume.
- 1 -EDITORS' INTRODUCTION
Disease in farm livestock has always been a problem of considerable
importance to farmers. The essence of livestock husbandry is 'looking
after animals properly', and maintaining them in good health is clearly a
significant element of this. As production becomes more intensive, health
status becomes increasingly a primary determinant of productivity on
livestock farms. The modern livestock farmer tends to sustain the
productive capacity of his stock by active disease management practices,
with heavy reliance on the support of the veterinary surgeon and on the
companies which provide pharmaceuticals and feed additives as part of the
framework for disease control.
Many livestock diseases are infectious, and therefore can spread from
one farm to another, while zoonoses can adversely affect the health of
humans. For these reasons livestock health is not just of concern to the
individual farmer, and the state necessarily becomes involved to protect
the wider public or national interest. Over the years, all countries have
invested in major administrative and scientific structures in the
interests of both farming and of public health, and national and regional
programmes have been implemented to control or eradicate nominated
diseases. These concerns become even more important as the scope for
disease transfer is increased when nations trade in live animals and
livestock products. It is no surprise, therefore, that multicountry
groupings such as the European Community recognise the need for common and
collective action in disease control. This becomes important as the
various member states, having different histories and programmes in their
state veterinary services, seek to meet uniform regulations; the planned
full harmonisation of trade by 1992 now makes it imperative that there is
considered action and decision making across the Community to systematize
procedures in the field of animal health.
Disease control, therefore, is an issue of concern at three levels -
the farm, the state and the Community. Decisions must be made about
actions to control disease, or to minimise its impacts, at each of these
levels. There is a need for analysis and information to guide the
decisions made in each context. In a technical sense, this is not
- 3 -lacking. The veterinary profession continually develops its knowledge and
approach to the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease at the level
of the herd or individual animal. The typical state veterinary service
has long experience of disease control programmes. Based on veterinary
and epidemiological information it can usually plan and execute schemes
with predictable success. Consequently, within member countries
considerable experience is available to identify and underpin practical
arrangements appropriate at the Community level.
The role of economics
Dealing with disease of farm livestock, however, is not just a
technical exercise. It is a resource-using activity - of veterinary and
farm manpower, research laboratories, scientific expertise, and so on -
and so inevitably has economic, financial (or budgetary) and
administrative aspects that are equally important if actions are to be
effective and worthwhile. Before any programmes can be initiated crucial
decisions must be confronted as to priorities; what should be attempted,
how much, how rapidly, where, and when? It follows that, as well as being
guided by ve'terinary considerations, decisions on disease control involve
policy decision-makers, economists and administrators. For although
disease control is obviously 'important', the same might be said of every
other resource-using activity oí the farmer or of the government. It is
inappropriate for the professional group that is most technically
qualified alone to determine what should be done, since disease control is
just one activity competing for the same scarce resources as everything
else. The moment that the inherent scarcity ofs is recognised -
which means simply that resources are insufficient to accomplish
everything that is considered desirable, a situation that is true without
exception - there is a need to decide priorities, rank alternatives, and
make choices. Those choices must be made between disease control and
other activities, and within the disease control field between the
alternatives available. Sensible management of disease in farm livestock
means pursuing only those benefits that are worthwhile in an economic
sense, i.e. make the best use overall of scarce resources, not seeking
some achievable maximum state of livestock health from a purely veterinary
point of view.
Such choices need criteria for what is 'best' (or better), and the
discipline centrally concerned with criteria relating to problems of
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