One has a very hard time persuading a vet that animal disease is not an
important phenomenon of veterinary science that also has financial
implications, but is fundamentally an economic problem that has some
veterinary science aspects (McInerney, 1996, p.301).
The existence of diseases of agricultural animals impose costs on communities, either as costs of the
disease or as costs of avoiding the costs of the disease. In this paper, the focus is on economic ways of
thinking about the health of agricultural animals. In part one, the essence of economic approaches to
analysis of problems is outlined. Then in part two a common method of analysing the costs and benefits of
reducing or preventing agricultural animal disease is shown, and the flaws highlighted. In part three useful
economic ways of thinking about the costs and benefits associated with animal disease and its prevention
and reduction are explained.
