Cost-effectiveness of improving food safety in the dairy production chain

The main objective of this thesis is to develop a methodology for quantifying and optimizing strategies for improving food safety in the dairy chain for fluid pasteurized milk.A linear programming model is developed to identify cost-effective (least-cost) measures that comprise strategies for attaining different levels of improving food safety. The model shows the tradeoffs between increasing levels of improving food safety and the associated extra costs. The model also provides insight into the effect of farm size on the extra costs incurred by the farm and the chain as a whole. To analyze this effect, the chain model was run for two situations, i.e. for a dairy farm size of 50 milking cows and one of 250 milking cows.The main inputs for the model are the costs of the control measures and the effectiveness of these measures in improving food safety. Extra costs per ton of milk of implementing and maintaining the measures were calculated using a partial budgeting method. Relative effectiveness of control measures was assessed by experts using adaptive conjoint analysis. The analysis also reveals that many of the most important action points for improving food safety in the chain relate to the farm level.Therefore, an extended analysis on the importance of farm-level action points is performed to yield insight into farmers' awareness of the action points by exploring differences and similarities between farmers' perceptions of these action points and those of experts. Besides adaptive conjoint analysis, a two-stage cluster analysis and statistical tests are used. Resultssuggest that farmers have a good knowledge of most important farm-level action points.Irrespective of farm size, results demonstrate an upward sloping relationship between the food safety levels and the corresponding extra costs both for the farmlevel and the chain as a whole. Relatively low levels of improving food safety in the chain (up to 50% of the maximum) can be achieved at relatively low cost for the farm (up to €0.10 and €0.34 per ton of milk in the 50- and 250-cow situation respectively) as well as for the chain (up to €1.42 and €1.09 per ton of milk in the 50- and 250-cow situation respectively). However, attaining higher food safety levels (up to the maximum of 100%) involves a steep rise in extra chain costs independent of farm size (up to €44.37 and €39.63 per ton of milk in the 50- and 250-cow situation respectively), with more than 60% of the extra chain costs being attributed to the farm stage. An increase of farm size (at least up to 250 milking cows) does not decrease the burden put on the farm stage for achieving high levels of food safety in the dairy chain.