Expert Opinion on the Perceived Effectiveness and Importance of On-Farm Biosecurity Measures for Cattle and Swine Farms in Switzerland

Abstract

Biosecurity is crucial for safeguarding livestock from infectious diseases. Despite the plethora of biosecurity recommendations, published scientific evidence on the effectiveness of individual biosecurity measures is limited. The objective of this study was to assess the perception of Swiss experts about the effectiveness and importance of individual on-farm biosecurity measures for cattle and swine farms (31 and 30 measures, respectively). Using a modified Delphi method, 16 Swiss livestock disease specialists (8 for each species) were interviewed. The experts were asked to rank biosecurity measures that were written on cards, by allocating a score from 0 (lowest) to 5 (highest). Experts ranked biosecurity measures based on their importance related to Swiss legislation, feasibility, as well as the effort required for implementation and the benefit of each biosecurity measure. The experts also ranked biosecurity measures based on their effectiveness in preventing an infectious agent from entering and spreading on a farm, solely based on transmission characteristics of specific pathogens. The pathogens considered by cattle experts were those causing Bluetongue (BT), Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR). Swine experts expressed their opinion on the pathogens causing African Swine Fever (ASF), Enzootic Pneumonia (EP), Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), as well as FMD. For cattle farms, biosecurity measures that improve disease awareness of farmers were ranked as both most important and most effective. For swine farms, the most important and effective measures identified were those related to animal movements. Among all single measures evaluated, education of farmers was perceived by the experts to be the most important and effective for protecting both Swiss cattle and swine farms from disease. The findings of this study provide an important basis for recommendation to farmers and policy makers.

Relevant Measures to Prevent the Spread of African Swine Fever in the European Union Domestic Pig Sector

“…Pig production in Europe is highly heterogeneous with different biosecurity standards and productive levels (39, 81). Actions to prevent ASF introduction and spread should take into consideration the epidemiology of the disease, with especial focus on the virus resistance in the environment, routes of transmission, and excretion as well as the characteristics of the farming systems in place (5, 29, 38, 48, 58). As no vaccine for ASF is available, prevention of ASF relies upon implementing strict biosecurity measures to avoid potential contact between domestic pigs and ASF virus (35, 49, 58, 82).…”

Use of a modified Delphi panel to identify and weight criteria for prioritization of zoonotic diseases in Switzerland

“…Table 1 The criteria concerning humans were ranked as more important compared to the criteria 196 concerning animals; as an example "Treatment in humans" had a median score of 4.25, compared to 197 "Treatment in animals", which had a median score of 2 (Table 1) The method used in this study was first described for engineering projects (Rogers and Bruen, 208 1998), but has also been used in the veterinary field (Kuster et al, 2013). It allows for an equal 209 weighting of each experts' opinion through independent one-on-one interviews, thus reducing the risk 210 of over-or under-weighting an individual experts' opinion based on their behavior in a group 211 discussion.…”

Exploring expert opinion on the practicality and effectiveness of biosecurity measures on dairy farms in the United Kingdom using choice modeling

“…Biosecurity -defined as a series of measures aiming to stop disease-causing agents entering experiments in controlled conditions is not the ideal approach to biosecurity because of the 59 difficulty in extrapolating these findings to working farms (Kuster, et al, 2015). Studies of 60 farmers' attitudes to biosecurity have reported that the effectiveness of different measures is 61 very important to them; farmers do not want to take time to carry out practices that do not However, there are no studies that have explicitly looked into the practicality of biosecurity 66 measures on dairy farms.…”