Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Trade-off (i-MaDE-IT) decision tool for layer poultry production

Abstract

Decision support systems (DSS) are essential planning tools that enable decision makers to make informed, evidence-based choices in agricultural production. For DSS to be effective, they must be customized to address challenges unique to specific production systems. The interface for Marek’s Disease Economic Impact and Tradeoff (i-MaDE-IT) was developed as a specialized DSS for conducting ex-ante impact assessments of Marek’s disease control strategies in layer poultry production systems. However, its baseline mode (without a Marek’s disease outbreak) can also serve as a tool for layer production planning and forecasting. i-MaDE-IT, a user-friendly web-based simulation interface, serves as the front end of a system dynamics model comprising three core modules. These modules, comprising production-epidemiological, management decisions, and financial modules, are designed to be easily navigable and comprehensible. The production-epidemiological module tracks the transition of poultry birds from day-old chicks to spent layers while simulating their progression through various health statuses based on disease spread dynamics. The management decisions module captures re-vaccination and biosecurity measures (specifically culling) as control measures, as well as the financial decisions that influence the profitability indicators – gross margin and benefit-cost ratio. The financial module consolidates all production costs and revenues from eggs, spent layers and manure.