Biosecurity practices in Belgian cattle farming: Level of implementation, constraints and weaknesses

[en] Over the last few years, a shift from curative towards preventive medicine occurred in the livestock sector. This led to an increased importance of biosecurity to better control infectious diseases by preventing their introduction and/or reducing their spread. Farmers are the main responsible actors of biosecurity measures (BSM). Existing studies report a low implementation level of BSM by the cattle farmers. Barriers such as cost, usefulness, importance, workload and lack of knowledge were investigated but the decision-making process of farmers related to a given BSM is not yet clarified. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess the level of implementation of BSM in cattle farms, (ii) assess the correlation between the importance that farmers give to a BSM and its effective implementation and (iii) identify the main reasons of non-implementation. A randomized survey was implemented in Belgium from December 2016 up to April 2017 with face-to-face interviews conducted in 100 Belgian farms. A descriptive analysis of data was performed using Microsoft Excel® and Stata14®. Chi-square and Spearman's rank correlation tests, respectively, allowed comparing implementation levels in dairy herds vs. beef herds and investigating the correlation between the importance that farmers give to a BSM and its implementation level. Biosecurity measures were poorly implemented to prevent disease introduction through direct contact and almost not to avoid indirect transmission. Some measures showed a significant difference in terms of implementation level between beef and dairy herds. A positive correlation was highlighted between the importance that farmers give to a BSM and its actual effective implementation. Perceived lack of efficiency, feasibility and usefulness are the reasons most often mentioned for non-implementation. Other factors potentially influencing the decision-making process should be further investigated and clarified. Evidence-based studies would be useful to convince the farmers of the need of implementing BSM. © 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Disciplines :

Veterinary medicine & animal health

Author, co-author :

Renault, Véronique ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI) > Epidémiologie et analyse des risques appl. aux sc. vétér.

Damiaans, B.; Department Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Epidemiology Unit Ghent University Ghent Belgium

Sarrazin, S.; Department Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Epidemiology Unit Ghent University Ghent Belgium

Humblet, Marie-France ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Protection et hygiène du travail (SUPHT)

Dewulf, J.; Department Reproduction, Obstetrics, and Herd Health Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Epidemiology Unit Ghent University Ghent Belgium

Saegerman, Claude ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des maladies infectieuses et parasitaires (DMI) > Epidémiologie et analyse des risques appl. aux sc. vétér.

Language :

English

Title :

Biosecurity practices in Belgian cattle farming: Level of implementation, constraints and weaknesses

Publication date :

2018

Journal title :

Transboundary and Emerging Diseases

ISSN :

1865-1674

eISSN :

1865-1682

Publisher :

Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 01 January 2020

Statistics

Number of views

74 (4 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

2 (2 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenCitations

OpenAlex citations

Bibliography

Bazeley, K. (2009). Managing the risk of buying in disease when farmers buy in cattle. Livestock, 14(2), 42–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-3870.2009.tb00219.x
Brennan, M. L., & Christley, R. M. (2012). Biosecurity on cattle farms: a study in north-west England. PLoS ONE, 7(1), e28139. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0028139
Brennan, M. L., & Christley, R. M. (2013). Cattle producers’ perceptions of biosecurity. BMC Veterinary Research, 9, 71. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-9-71
Department of Agriculture, food and the marine. I. (2017). Recommended stocking rates. Retrieved August 21, 2017, from https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/farmingschemesandpayments/farmbuildings/farmbuildingspecifications/pdfversions/RecAnimalAreas.pdf
Detilleux, J., Theron, L., Beduin, J.-M., & Hanzen, C. (2012). A structural equation model to evaluate direct and indirect factors associated with a latent measure of mastitis in Belgian dairy herds. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 107(3–4), 170–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PREVETMED.2012.06.005
van Engelen, E., Schotten, N., Schimmer, B., Hautvast, J. L. A., van Schaik, G., & van Duijnhoven, Y. T. H. P. (2014). Prevalence and risk factors for Coxiella burnetii (Q fever) in Dutch dairy cattle herds based on bulk tank milk testing. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 117(1), 103–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2014.08.016
European Commission (2007). A new Animal Health Strategy for the European Union (2007–2013) where “Prevention is better than cure.”. European Communities, 2007, 28. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/food/animal/diseases/strategy/index_%0Aen.htm
FAO (1988). Farm structures in tropical climates (Eds. Lennart P. Bengtsson & James H. Whitaker) - Ch10 Animal housing: Cattle housing. Retrieved August 21, 2017, from http://www.fao.org/docrep/s1250e/S1250E11.htm
Gates, M. C., Volkova, V. V., & Woolhouse, M. E. J. (2013). Impact of changes in cattle movement regulations on the risks of bovine tuberculosis for Scottish farms. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 108(2–3), 125–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.07.016
Gates, M. C., Woolhouse, M. E. J., Gunn, G. J., & Humphry, R. W. (2013). Relative associations of cattle movements, local spread, and biosecurity with bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) seropositivity in beef and dairy herds. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 112(3–4), 285–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2013.07.017
Gunn, G. J., Heffernan, C., Hall, M., McLeod, A., & Hovi, M. (2008). Measuring and comparing constraints to improved biosecurity amongst GB farmers, veterinarians and the auxiliary industries. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 84(3–4), 310–323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2007.12.003
Heffernan, C., Nielsen, L., Thomson, K., & Gunn, G. (2008). An exploration of the drivers to bio-security collective action among a sample of UK cattle and sheep farmers. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 87(3), 358–372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2008.05.007
Hoe, F. G. H., & Ruegg, P. L. (2006). Opinions and practices of Wisconsin dairy producers about biosecurity and animal well-being. Journal of Dairy Science, 89(6), 2297–2308. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72301-3
Holzhauer, M., Hardenberg, C., Bartels, C. J. M., & Frankena, K. (2006). Herd- and cow-level prevalence of digital dermatitis in the Netherlands and associated risk factors. Journal of Dairy Science, 89(2), 580–588. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(06)72121-X
Kristensen, E., & Jakobsen, E. B. (2011). Danish dairy farmers’ perception of biosecurity. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 99(2), 122–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2011.01.010
Kuster, K., Cousin, M.-E., Jemmi, T., Schüpbach-Regula, G., & Magouras, I. (2015). Expert opinion on the perceived effectiveness and importance of on-farm biosecurity measures for cattle and Swine Farms in Switzerland. PLoS ONE, 10(12), e0144533. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144533
Laanen, M., Maes, D., Hendriksen, C., Gelaude, P., De Vliegher, S., Rosseel, Y., & Dewulf, J. (2014). Pig, cattle and poultry farmers with a known interest in research have comparable perspectives on disease prevention and on-farm biosecurity. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 115(1–2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2014.03.015
Losson, B. J., Lonneux, J. F., & Lekimme, M. (1999). The pathology of Psoroptes ovis infestation in cattle with a special emphasis on breed difference. Veterinary Parasitology, 83(3–4), 219–229 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10423004
Maunsell, F., & Donovan, G. A. (2008). Biosecurity and risk management for dairy replacements. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 24(1), 155–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvfa.2007.10.007
Mee, J. F. (2008). Newborn dairy calf management. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 24(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CVFA.2007.10.002
Mee, J. F., Geraghty, T., O'Neill, R., & More, S. J. (2012). Bioexclusion of diseases from dairy and beef farms: risks of introducing infectious agents and risk reduction strategies. Veterinary Journal (London, England : 1997), 194(2), 143–150 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.07.001
Moore, D. A., Merryman, M. M. L., Hartman, M. L., & Klingborg, D. J. (2008). Comparison of published recommendations regarding biosecurity practices for various production animal species and classes. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 233, 249–256 Retrieved from http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.233.2.249
Naranjo, V., Gortazar, C., Vicente, J., & de la Fuente, J. (2008). Evidence of the role of European wild boar as a reservoir of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Veterinary Microbiology, 127(1–2), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2007.10.002
National Mastitis Council (2009). Recommended mastitis control program. Verona: National Mastitis Council. Retrieved from https://www.nmconline.org/docs/NMCchecklistInt.pdf
Nöremark, M., Frössling, J., & Lewerin, S. S. (2010). Application of routines that contribute to on-farm biosecurity as reported by Swedish livestock farmers. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 57(4), 225–236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1865-1682.2010.01140.x
Nöremark, M., & Sternberg-Lewerin, S. (2014). On-farm biosecurity as perceived by professionals visiting Swedish farms. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 56, 28. https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0147-56-28
Ohlson, A., Heuer, C., Lockhart, C., Tråvén, M., Emanuelson, U., & Alenius, S. (2010). Risk factors for seropositivity to bovine coronavirus and bovine respiratory syncytial virus in dairy herds. The Veterinary Record, 167(6), 201–206. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.c4119
Pritchard, K., Wapenaar, W., & Brennan, M. L. (2015). Cattle veterinarians’ awareness and understanding of biosecurity. The Veterinary Record, 176(21), 546. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.102899
QFL-Production (2017). QFL Qualité Filière Lait CAHIER DES CHARGES QFL. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http://www.ikm.be/lastenboek/files/qflp_010617_v9.pdf
Renault, V., Humblet, M. F., Moons, V., Bosquet, G., Gauthier, B., Cebrián, L. M., … Saegerman, C. (2017). Rural veterinarian's perception and practices in terms of biosecurity across three European countries. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 65(1), e183–e193. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12719
Ritter, C., Jansen, J., Roche, S., Kelton, D. F., Adams, C. L., Orsel, K., … Barkema, H. W. (2017). Invited review: Determinants of farmers’ adoption of management-based strategies for infectious disease prevention and control. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(5), 3329–3347. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11977
Rodríguez-Lainz, A., Hird, D. W., Walker, R. L., & Read, D. H. (1996). Papillomatous digital dermatitis in 458 dairies. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 209(8), 1464–1467 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8870747
Royal Decree (1998). Royal decree of 23st of January 1998 on the protection of calves in calve rearing facilities. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http://environnement.wallonie.be/legis/bienetreanimal/bienetre044.html
Saegerman, C., Del Pozzo, F., & Humblet, M. F. (2012). Reducing hazards for humans from animals: Emerging and re-emerging zoonoses. Italian Journal of Public Health, 9(2), 13–24 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000500
Sarrazin, S., Cay, A. B., Laureyns, J., & Dewulf, J. (2014). A survey on biosecurity and management practices in selected Belgian cattle farms. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 117(1), 129–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2014.07.014
Sayers, R. G., Good, M., & Sayers, G. P. (2014). A survey of biosecurity-related practices, opinions and communications across dairy farm veterinarians and advisors. The Veterinary Journal, 200(2), 261–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.02.010
Sayers, R. G., Sayers, G. P., Mee, J. F., Good, M., Bermingham, M. L., Grant, J., & Dillon, P. G. (2013). Implementing biosecurity measures on dairy farms in Ireland. The Veterinary Journal, 197(2), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.11.017
Scantlebury, M., Hutchings, M. R., Allcroft, D. J., & Harris, S. (2004). Risk of disease from wildlife reservoirs: badgers, cattle, and bovine tuberculosis. Journal of Dairy Science, 87(2), 330–339. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(04)73172-0
van Schaik, G., Dijkhuizen, A. A., Huirne, R. B., Schukken, Y. H., Nielen, M., & Hage, H. J. (1998). Risk factors for existence of Bovine Herpes Virus 1 antibodies on nonvaccinating Dutch dairy farms. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 34(2–3), 125–136 Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9604262
Shortall, O., Ruston, A., Green, M., Brennan, M., Wapenaar, W., & Kaler, J. (2016). Broken biosecurity? Veterinarians’ framing of biosecurity on dairy farms in England. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 132, 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.06.001
Somers, J. G. C. J., Frankena, K., Noordhuizen-Stassen, E. N., & Metz, J. H. M. (2005). Risk factors for digital dermatitis in dairy cows kept in cubicle houses in The Netherlands. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 71(1–2), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2005.05.002
Toma, L., Stott, A. W., Heffernan, C., Ringrose, S., & Gunn, G. J. (2013). Determinants of biosecurity behaviour of British cattle and sheep farmers—A behavioural economics analysis. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 108(4), 321–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.11.009
University of Minnesota Extension. (2004). Maternity pens on dairy farms. Minnesota farm guide. Retrieved from http://www.minnesotafarmguide.com/news/livestock/maternity-pens-on-dairy-farms/article_f5abe0ec-195e-57a1-adb9-87357ea20383.html (accessed 21 August 2017)
Windeyer, M. C., Leslie, K. E., Godden, S. M., Hodgins, B. C., Lissemore, K. D., & LeBlanca, S. J. (2014). Factors associated with morbidity, mortality, and growth of dairy heifer calves up to 3 months of age. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 113(2), 231–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PREVETMED.2013.10.019
van Winsen, F., de Mey, Y., Lauwers, L., Van Passel, S., Vancauteren, M., & Wauters, E. (2016). Determinants of risk behaviour: effects of perceived risks and risk attitude on farmer's adoption of risk management strategies. Journal of Risk Research, 19(1), 56–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2014.940597