Exploring the role of voluntary disease schemes on UK farmer bio-security behaviours: Findings from the Norfolk-Suffolk Bovine Viral Diarrhoea control scheme.

Lena Azbel-Jackson,George Gunn,Claire Heffernan,Joe Brownlie

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0179877

Abstract

The article describes the influence of a disease control scheme (the Norfolk-Suffolk Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Disease (BVD) Eradication scheme) on farmers' bio-security attitudes and behaviours. In 2010, a survey of 100 cattle farmers (53 scheme members vs. 47 out of scheme farmers) was undertaken among cattle farmers residing in Norfolk and Suffolk counties in the UK. A cross-sectional independent measures design was employed. The main analytical tool was content analysis. The following variables at the farmer-level were explored: the specific BVD control measures adopted, livestock disease priorities, motivation for scheme membership, wider knowledge acquisition, biosecurity behaviours employed and training course attendance. The findings suggest that participation in the BVD scheme improved farmers' perception of the scheme benefits and participation in training courses. However, no association was found between the taking part in the BVD scheme and livestock disease priorities or motivation for scheme participation, or knowledge about BVD bio-security measures employed. Equally importantly, scheme membership did appear to influence the importance accorded specific bio-security measures. Yet such ranking did not appear to reflect the actual behaviours undertaken. As such, disease control efforts alone while necessary, are insufficient. Rather, to enhance farmer bio-security behaviours significant effort must be made to address underlying attitudes to the specific disease threat involved.

Highlights

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is a viral disease of cattle with large impacts on herd productivity and reproduction [1]
We investigated a range of factors hypothesized to have an influence on bio-security behaviours: BVD control measures employed, livestock disease priorities, motivation for scheme membership, perception of the scheme benefits and wider knowledge acquisition
15% of farmers across both groups offered that ‘none’ of the existing disease control strategies were effective in controlling the spread of livestock disease (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) is a viral disease of cattle with large impacts on herd productivity and reproduction [1]. It is estimated that more than 90% of UK herds have been exposed to the virus [2]. Numerous studies show that BVD has considerable economic consequences at the farm level [1,3,4,5]. Scottish Government estimates suggest that the eradication of BVD. Despite the high cost of the disease, efforts at BVD control and eradication, at the farm level, are considered patchy at best [7]. The Scottish Government has recently legislated a mandatory control scheme [6]. While no such legislation is planned for England, in 2016 the industry-led BVD Free England scheme was initiated (www.bvdfree.org.uk)

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