Manejo de fármacos y asistencia veterinaria en hatos lecheros artesanales de Costa Rica

Abstract

Sixty percent of the national milk production is processed by comercial companies while 35-40% is processed by the informal sector. The final product of these sector, milk, cheese, or both, are not tested for microbiological or medicines residues contamination. The nformation about drugs management, the channels for product sales, mastitis treatment and the use of veterinary services for a large sector of the dairy production, is unknown. Thus, it was included in this study 60 farms Santa Cruz de Turrialba, a community with traditional dairy production. It was found that veterinary services qere rarely used, that drugs and treatments qrer recommended by neighbors, base don tha farmerˈa experience, or indicated by farm storeˈs employees. The extra-label use of medicines period, but they increase the dose at the time of treatement. Mastitis treatments and anti-parasitic drugs are used during lactation but the milk is not withheld for the recommended wit-drawal period. Therefore, this is an indication that the prducts from these farms could contain medicines residues which constitute a potencial human health hazard. The sporadic veterinary visits conducted to these farms do not ensure that tha farmers understand how medicines should be administered.