Abstract
The eradication of BVD in the UK is technically possible but appears to be socially untenable. The following study explored farmer attitudes to BVD control schemes in relation to advice networks and information sharing, shared aims and goals, motivation and benefits of membership, notions of BVD as a priority disease and attitudes toward regulation. Two concepts from the organisational management literature framed the study: citizenship behaviour where actions of individuals support the collective good (but are not explicitly recognised as such) and peer to peer monitoring (where individuals evaluate other’s behaviour). Farmers from two BVD control schemes in the UK participated in the study: Orkney Livestock Association BVD Eradication Scheme and Norfolk and Suffolk Cattle Breeders Association BVD Eradication Scheme. In total 162 farmers participated in the research (109 in-scheme and 53 out of scheme). The findings revealed that group helping and information sharing among scheme members was low with a positive BVD status subject to social censure. Peer monitoring in the form of gossip with regard to the animal health status of other farms was high. Interestingly, farmers across both schemes supported greater regulation with regard to animal health, largely due to the mistrust of fellow farmers following voluntary disease control measures. While group cohesiveness varied across the two schemes, without continued financial inducements, longer-term sustainability is questionable.
Highlights
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea is a viral disease of cattle which impacts herd productivity and reproduction [1]
In 2010, Brulisauer et al estimated that 16% of beef suckler herds in Scotland had active BVDV infection [4]
Recommendations regarding initial scheme members to interview were made by the Orkney Livestock Association (OLA) manager
Summary
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea is a viral disease of cattle which impacts herd productivity and reproduction [1]. The disease is endemic in the UK with historical estimates of the overall cost i.e. control and prevention ranging from £25–60 million per annum [2]. In a study in Scotland, benefits to eradicating the disease at the national level were estimated to be £47 million in ‘discounted economic gain’ [3]. As BVD is an immunosuppressive disease and thereby may PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0152295. Peer to Peer Monitoring accelerate synergistic infections, calculating the economic impact is fraught with challenges. Few studies have explored prevalence rates in the UK. In 2010, Brulisauer et al estimated that 16% of beef suckler herds in Scotland had active BVDV infection [4]
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