Impact of technical and economic performance on costs of campylobacter spp. interventions on broiler farms in six European countries

Abstract

Campylobacter spp. is one of the leading causes of acute diarrheal disease in humans worldwide and human Campylobacter spp. infections can result in severe sequelae. Because broilers are an important reservoir for human Campylobacter spp. infections, it is relevant to control Campylobacter spp. on broiler farms. The costs of interventions to control Campylobacter spp. on broiler farms are important for acceptance and implementation by farmers. In comparing costs of Campylobacter spp. interventions on broiler farms between countries, differences in national economic factors, such as interest level and labour costs, are often considered, but differences in average technical and economic performance of broiler farms are not taken into account. This study used a farm calculation model based on the economic engineering-approach to estimate annual costs of eight interventions on a common commercial broiler farm in Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, and United Kingdom, for the year 2009 considering differences in national economic factors and in technical and economic farm performance. Across countries, the interventions building an anteroom with hygiene barrier, applying designated tools and applying fly screens had the lowest estimated costs and replacing old houses with new houses, slaughter at 35 days and a ban on thinning (partial depopulation) the highest. Applying drink nipples without a cup and having a maximum downtime of ten days resulted in intermediate estimated costs. Across interventions, Poland and Spain had the lowest estimated costs, Denmark and Norway the highest. The estimated costs in the most expensive country were between 67% and 550% higher than in the cheapest country, depending on the intervention. The estimated costs of Campylobacter spp. interventions on broiler farms varied substantially between countries due to differences in average technical and economic farm performance and in national economic factors.