Abstract

The financial impact of a range of clinical and subclinical diseases, and mortalities on deer farms is difficult to assess because there are insufficient accurate survey data of their prevalence, causes or production losses on a national basis. However, estimates suggest that clinical disease and current disease control measures may cost the deer industry in excess of $29 million per annum currently, and it may be speculated that at least that amount may be lost due to loss of production from subclinical diseases, resulting in potential costs and losses approaching $60 million per annum. Application of existing knowledge of disease control and prevention on individual farms would significantly reduce this wastage immediately. In addition, investment to improve technology for disease diagnosis, control, prevention and/or eradication, along with adoption of that technology should yield significant dividends for the deer industry.

CG, Mackintosh, and PR Wilson

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 63, Queenstown, 262-268, 2003