A cost-benefit assessment of Salmonella-control strategies in pigs reared in the United Kingdom

Publication date: 15 November 2018Source: Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Volume 160Author(s): C. Gavin, R.R.L. Simons, A.D.C. Berriman, D. Moorhouse, E.L. Snary, R.P. Smith, A.A. HillAbstractPork and pork products are a major source of human salmonellosis in the United Kingdom (UK). Despite a number of surveillance programmes, the prevalence of Salmonella in the UK slaughter pig population remains over 20%. Here, we present the results of a Cost-Benefit Analysis comparing five on-farm control strategies (where the cost is the cost of implementation and the benefits are the financial savings for both the human health and pig industries). The interventions considered were: wet feed, organic acids in feed, vaccination, enhanced cleaning and disinfection and movement of outdoor breeding units. The data originate from published papers and recent UK studies. The effectiveness was assessed by adapting a previous risk assessment, originally developed for the European Food Safety Authority. Using this method, none of the intervention strategies produced a net cost-benefit. Our results suggest that the cost of implementation outweighed the savings for all interventions, even if the effectiveness could be improved. Therefore, to achieve a net cost-benefit it is essential to reduce the cost of interventions. Analyses concluded that large cost reductions (up to 96%) would be required. Use of organic acids required the smallest reduction in cost (22.7%) to achieve a net cost benefit. Unce...
Source: Preventive Veterinary Medicine - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research