Economic costs of veterinary drug and antibiotic use in large Hungarian dairy cattle herds

Veterinary medicine costs are a major component to the economic losses caused by diseases in dairy cattle herds. This study aimed to quantify veterinary drug costs with a particular emphasis on antibiotics, in relation to key production parameters on eight large Hungarian dairy farms (average: 864 cows per herd) from 2017 to 2019. Veterinary drug costs were analysed by product group and indication, with antibiotic costs further categorised by substance class and indication. The average annual cost of veterinary drugs was €75.4 per cow and 0.80 € cents*L-1 milk. Antibiotics accounted for the largest share (39.7%) of total drug costs. Main indications were udder diseases (29.6%), reproductive disorders (26.5%), lameness (11.8%), digestive (11.5%) and respiratory diseases (10.0%). The average annual cost of antibiotics was €29.9 per cow and 0.32 € cents*L-1 milk. On average, 51.8% of antibiotic costs were treating mastitis, 27.8% for lameness, 12.1% for respiratory and digestive diseases and 8.3% for reproductive failures. Most antibiotic costs were for cephalosporins (63.2%), fluoroquinolones (11.1%) and antibiotic combinations (9.5%) (e.g., amoxicillin and clavulanic acid), followed by tetracyclines, macrolides and penicillins. The majority of veterinary drug costs in the surveyed Hungarian dairy herds were attributable to antibiotics, followed by hormones and vaccines.