Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework

IntroductionOn-farm biosecurity is an essential component of successful disease management in the beef cattle industry on an individual, regional, and national level. Participation in mandatory or voluntary assurance schemes, knowledge and trusted relationships have all been demonstrated to contribu...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jake Fountain, Jennifer Manyweathers, Victoria J. Brookes, Marta Hernandez-Jover
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Veterinary Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1072929/full
_version_ 1828004002273427456
author Jake Fountain
Jake Fountain
Jennifer Manyweathers
Jennifer Manyweathers
Victoria J. Brookes
Victoria J. Brookes
Marta Hernandez-Jover
Marta Hernandez-Jover
author_facet Jake Fountain
Jake Fountain
Jennifer Manyweathers
Jennifer Manyweathers
Victoria J. Brookes
Victoria J. Brookes
Marta Hernandez-Jover
Marta Hernandez-Jover
author_sort Jake Fountain
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionOn-farm biosecurity is an essential component of successful disease management in the beef cattle industry on an individual, regional, and national level. Participation in mandatory or voluntary assurance schemes, knowledge and trusted relationships have all been demonstrated to contribute to the development of behaviors that promote biosecurity. However, compliance with rules, socio-psychological relationships and knowledge-seeking behavior are all contingent upon the motivations and beliefs of the individual. It is widely accepted that the motivations and beliefs of all cultures can be defined by ten basic values (Self-direction, Stimulation, Hedonism, Achievement, Power, Security, Conformity, Tradition, Benevolence and Universalism). In this study, we use the ten basic values to characterize the on-farm biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef farmers to facilitate the identification of interventions that are most likely to align with producer motivations and therefore, more likely to result in wider adoption of effective on-farm biosecurity.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Australian beef farmers to discuss the reasons behind decisions to alter or implement biosecurity practices in response to endemic diseases. Thematic analysis was used to identify the motivations, opportunities, and capability of biosecurity behaviors. The ten basic human values were used to characterize these behaviors and inform enablers and barriers to biosecurity adoption.Results and discussionBenevolence and Self-direction, relating to self-transcendence and an openness to change, were the principal values associated with good biosecurity behaviors. This suggests that farmers will be receptive to education strategies that communicate the actual risk of disease in their area, the impact of disease on animal welfare, and the ability for on-farm biosecurity to mitigate these impacts. Farmers also expressed values of Security which entrenched behaviors as common practice; however, in some cases the Security of trusted relationships was identified as a potential barrier to behavior change. Overall, values associated with biosecurity behaviors were found to align with values that are most important for social cohesion, suggesting that collaborative disease efforts between industry stakeholders and farmers are likely to succeed if designed with these values in mind.
first_indexed 2024-04-10T07:07:35Z
format Article
id doaj.art-b85debe0fdd342a9b9c288270c6e6c05
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2297-1769
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-10T07:07:35Z
publishDate 2023-02-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Veterinary Science
spelling doaj.art-b85debe0fdd342a9b9c288270c6e6c052023-02-27T05:34:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692023-02-011010.3389/fvets.2023.10729291072929Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values frameworkJake Fountain0Jake Fountain1Jennifer Manyweathers2Jennifer Manyweathers3Victoria J. Brookes4Victoria J. Brookes5Marta Hernandez-Jover6Marta Hernandez-Jover7Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, AustraliaGulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, AustraliaSydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, AustraliaGulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Science and Health, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, AustraliaIntroductionOn-farm biosecurity is an essential component of successful disease management in the beef cattle industry on an individual, regional, and national level. Participation in mandatory or voluntary assurance schemes, knowledge and trusted relationships have all been demonstrated to contribute to the development of behaviors that promote biosecurity. However, compliance with rules, socio-psychological relationships and knowledge-seeking behavior are all contingent upon the motivations and beliefs of the individual. It is widely accepted that the motivations and beliefs of all cultures can be defined by ten basic values (Self-direction, Stimulation, Hedonism, Achievement, Power, Security, Conformity, Tradition, Benevolence and Universalism). In this study, we use the ten basic values to characterize the on-farm biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef farmers to facilitate the identification of interventions that are most likely to align with producer motivations and therefore, more likely to result in wider adoption of effective on-farm biosecurity.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Australian beef farmers to discuss the reasons behind decisions to alter or implement biosecurity practices in response to endemic diseases. Thematic analysis was used to identify the motivations, opportunities, and capability of biosecurity behaviors. The ten basic human values were used to characterize these behaviors and inform enablers and barriers to biosecurity adoption.Results and discussionBenevolence and Self-direction, relating to self-transcendence and an openness to change, were the principal values associated with good biosecurity behaviors. This suggests that farmers will be receptive to education strategies that communicate the actual risk of disease in their area, the impact of disease on animal welfare, and the ability for on-farm biosecurity to mitigate these impacts. Farmers also expressed values of Security which entrenched behaviors as common practice; however, in some cases the Security of trusted relationships was identified as a potential barrier to behavior change. Overall, values associated with biosecurity behaviors were found to align with values that are most important for social cohesion, suggesting that collaborative disease efforts between industry stakeholders and farmers are likely to succeed if designed with these values in mind.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1072929/fullbiosecurityvaluecattlebehaviorendemicbeef
spellingShingle Jake Fountain
Jake Fountain
Jennifer Manyweathers
Jennifer Manyweathers
Victoria J. Brookes
Victoria J. Brookes
Marta Hernandez-Jover
Marta Hernandez-Jover
Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
biosecurity
value
cattle
behavior
endemic
beef
title Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework
title_full Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework
title_fullStr Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework
title_full_unstemmed Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework
title_short Understanding biosecurity behaviors of Australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework
title_sort understanding biosecurity behaviors of australian beef cattle farmers using the ten basic human values framework
topic biosecurity
value
cattle
behavior
endemic
beef
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1072929/full
work_keys_str_mv AT jakefountain understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework
AT jakefountain understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework
AT jennifermanyweathers understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework
AT jennifermanyweathers understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework
AT victoriajbrookes understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework
AT victoriajbrookes understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework
AT martahernandezjover understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework
AT martahernandezjover understandingbiosecuritybehaviorsofaustralianbeefcattlefarmersusingthetenbasichumanvaluesframework