Economic analysis of strategic control program (5, 8, 11) for gastrointestinal nematodes in grazing beef cattle during the growing phase in Central Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze economically different control protocols for beef cattle gastrointestinal nematodes in Brazil. Field study data previously published was used to compare three groups: 1) non-dosed; 2) current deworming program with two doses - May and November; and 3) alternative strategic control program with three doses - May, August, and November. An economic sensitivity analysis was performed based on beef carcass price (BCP) variation, thus creating three economic scenarios: 1) more probable (M) using the mean BCP in the studied region; 2) optimistic (O) using the mean BCP plus standard deviation; and 3) pessimistic (P) using the mean BCP minus standard deviation. Stock valuation (SV), operational result (OP), and treatment differential (TD) were calculated for each scenario. Average BCP was US$ 2.93 kg-1 carcass (± US$ 0.27 kg-1 carcass). The mean annual cost of deworming per animal was US$ 5.43 and US$ 7.97 for protocols with two and three doses, respectively. The cost of anthelmintic treatment represented 0.63% and 0.74% of operating results, both in M scenario. TD ranged from 9.5% to 27.6% for the assessed protocols. Regardless of the scenario, the protocol with three annual dosages presented the highest SV and OP, which economically justifies its implementation in strategic control of gastrointestinal nematodes in grazing beef cattle in Central Brazil. These results also demonstrate the relevance of strategic anthelmintic treatments in weaned stocker calves in tropical and humid subtropical areas.