Beliefs about effectiveness predict whether farmers implement biosecurity measures on Irish farms

Whether farmers implement biosecurity measures on farms to prevent bovine tuberculosis (bTB) depend mainly on how effective they believe those measures will be, rather than knowledge about the disease or awareness of recommended actions, according to new research by the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit.

The mixed methods research included 60 in-depth farmer interviews followed by a survey experiment with 824 farmers. It reveals a sense of pessimism and lack of control around bTB, alongside scepticism about some prevention measures. 

Many farmers feel they cannot meaningfully reduce risk because of wildlife transmission and testing delays. This sense of fatalism may reduce motivation to take preventive actions.

Farmers described breakdowns as mentally and financially draining, with repeated testing, trade restrictions and uncertainty cited as major burdens. However, past experience of a breakdown was not associated with stronger preventive behaviour.

Farmers vary in their understanding of bTB and most are aware of official biosecurity guidance, but good understanding and awareness does not lead to stronger biosecurity practices. Instead, whether a farmer implements recommended biosecurity measures on their farm depends on whether they believe those measures will reduce bTB risk. 

Some measures are perceived as more worthwhile than others. Farmers rated actions that prevent bTB entering the farm – keeping a closed herd, stopping cattle accessing badger setts, and checking bTB history of purchased animals – as the most effective and worthwhile. Measures that manage within-herd spread were viewed as less impactful. 

Farmers were pessimistic about eradication of bTB in the next 10 years, with most expecting the situation to remain the same. When ranking the biggest barriers to eradication, not enough culling of wildlife and purchasing from herds with a history of bTB were top. The majority of those sampled (80%) said it should be mandatory to provide information on the bTB history of herd when selling.

“These findings suggest that communications about biosecurity need to demonstrate the effectiveness of specific recommended measures,” said Dr Deirdre Robertson, lead author of the report. “Evidence-based narratives, peer-to-peer engagement and practical demonstrations may be more useful than only supplying information about bTB or reiterating existing guidance.”

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, T.D. thanked the Behavioural Research Unit of the ESRI for this valuable report and said, “This important piece of work provides significant insights into farmers' behaviour on the effectiveness of biosecurity measures in preventing bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and the mental and financial toll on farm families of a bTB breakdown as well as the value of effective communication. My Department will apply the findings of this report to the TB programme as we move forward with the implementation of the bTB Action Plan this year.”