The economic impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome outbreak in four Chinese farms: Based on cost and revenue analysis

Zhendong Zhang; Zhi Li; Hao Li; Shuqing Yang; Fubo Ren; Ting Bian; Liumei Sun; Bin Zhou; Lei Zhou; Xiangyang Qu

doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.1024720

The economic impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome outbreak in four Chinese farms: Based on cost and revenue analysis

Front Vet Sci. 2022 Oct 12:9:1024720. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1024720. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zhendong Zhang^{1

2}, Zhi Li^{2

3}, Hao Li¹, Shuqing Yang³, Fubo Ren³, Ting Bian^{1

2}, Liumei Sun¹, Bin Zhou⁴, Lei Zhou², Xiangyang Qu^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ School of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China.
² College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
³ Nanjing Dr. Vet Health Management Co., Ltd., Nanjing, China.
⁴ College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

The economic impact after the outbreak of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) has been proven to be tremendous for pig production worldwide. However, the economic impact of the disease is not well understood in China. In our previous study, we acquired and analyzed the main production data (the number of weaned piglets, health costs, delayed marketing age, etc.) from the management system before and after the PRRS outbreaks occurring in November 2014, March 2015, December 2016, and February 2017. This study aimed to analyze and quantify the economic losses of the four PRRS outbreaks in Chinese herds. A straightforward approach was used to calculate additional costs and decreased revenues based on the PRRS-induced production deficiencies by average cost-of-production indices calculated from annual estimates of costs between 2014 and 2017. The results showed that economic losses varied between ¥668.14 and ¥1004.43 per sow in breeding herds from the outbreaks to regain the basic performance, with an average of ¥822.75 per sow, and the mean costs in the fattening herds (including nursery pigs) were ¥601.62 per sow, ranging from ¥318.64 to ¥937.14. Overall, the economic impact of PRRS on the whole herd was ¥1424.37 per sow. The majority of the losses were due to the reduction in the number of weaned piglets for breeding herds, and the increased feed cost (occupying 44.88%) was the primary source of loss for fattening herds. Our study fills the gap in knowledge of PRRS economics in China, enriches the data for veterinary economics, and re-stresses the necessity for producers and veterinarians to control PRRS effectively.

Keywords: PRRS control; PRRS outbreak; economic impact; load-close-exposure; productive parameters.