Respiratory diseases cause more deaths in young growing cattle in this country than any other disease, according to Teagasc.

The most common respiratory diseases in housed cattle are the different forms of pneumonia. Pearse Kelly, Teagasc head of drystock, outlined why prevention is better than cure in a recent Teagasc winter update.

An Irish study a number of years ago that looked at the health of over 6,000 cattle in slatted units found that respiratory diseases were by far the main cause of ill health and death over a six-month housing period, Kelly said.

There are a number of different types of pneumonia that are regularly found on Irish farms to cause a problem. The most common of these are RSV, PI3 and IBR. All of these are viruses that are transmitted by close animal to animal contact through the air.

Once an animal becomes infected with one or more of these viruses they become much more susceptible to secondary bacterial infections that can cause them serious damage, the head of drystock noted.

Continuing, Kelly said: “When trying to estimate the losses incurred due to a respiratory disease outbreak a cost must be put on the loss of animals, the cost of treatment and the loss in lifetime production due to it.

“One study put the potential cost of treating an individual calf for viral pneumonia as high as €136.”

To gauge the cost of a pneumonia outbreak in a group of animals is a trickier business, however, with Kelly offering the example that some calves may not need to be treated intensively but their performance is definitely affected.

One study that looked at the losses incurred in beef herds affected by a pneumonia outbreak examined them under the headings of weight loss, labour costs, veterinary costs, mortality and the cost of medicines put the overall cost at €110 per calf in the whole group.

This underlines the importance of putting in place prevention measures on the farm. This can range from keeping stress at a minimum to vaccinating against the main viruses involved.

Kelly outlines the best housing tips to prevent pneumonia here.