Factors within A Veterinarian-Cattle Farmer Relationship That May Impact on Biosecurity Being Carried out on Farms: An Exploratory Study

SIMPLE SUMMARY: There is much research work describing how important the veterinarian–farmer relationship is to the decisions that are made by farmers. There is less information about how features of the veterinarian–farmer relationship could potentially affect how and whether biosecurity (prevention and control measures) is carried out. The aim of this study was to explore factors within the veterinarian–cattle farmer relationship that could influence the likelihood of biosecurity measures being taken on cattle farms in England. Cattle farmers and veterinarians carrying out high levels of biosecurity were interviewed, with a focus on exploring communication and the perceived influence each had on the other. Five interconnecting themes were identified, focusing on issues of trust, time, getting to know each other, the ability to have cooperative discussions and clarification regarding the cost-effectiveness of measures. It appears that this relationship and potentially how these interactions occur are likely to be critical to any future disease-prevention planning and implementation efforts. ABSTRACT: Veterinarians (vets) appear to be one of the main gateways to biosecurity information for cattle farmers, and therefore are likely to affect the implementation of these measures. The aim of this study was to explore factors within the vet–farmer relationship that may impact on biosecurity being carried out on cattle farms in England. Interviews were conducted with cattle farmers and large-animal vets, with a focus on individuals deemed to implement good levels of biosecurity or those working with said individuals. The questions explored how each stakeholder felt the communication occurred between the groups and the perceived consequential influence each had on the other. Inductive Thematic analysis was used to explore participants’ experience of vet–farmer interactions with a focus on areas of reciprocity between the two groups. Five primary themes were identified. Factors within the vet–cattle farmer relationship, such as trust and familiarity, which were interconnected with time spent with each other, appeared to influence the uptake of biosecurity measures on cattle farms. These factors purportedly impacted the ability of vet–farmer pairs to have cooperative discussions and enter into shared decision-making. In order to enhance animal and human health and welfare, these relationship factors might be key to the development of sustainable optimisation frameworks.