Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy; Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Anthropology, Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA.
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy.
Prev Vet Med. 2024 Aug;229:106238. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106238. Epub 2024 May 28.
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease that infects wild and domesticated swine. In early 2022, the virus was found in wild boar in the Apennine mountains of mainland Italy. Since then, it has spread from wild boar to domesticated swine. To control the spread of ASF, an effective surveillance system and the implementation of strict biosecurity measures on farms are required yet are unevenly implemented across husbandry systems. Smallholder farms in particular are known to have low levels of biosecurity. In the Apennine mountains of Italy, small commercial farms have been found to have low levels of biosecurity despite being located in areas with high densities of wild boar, and, hence, being high-risk sites for potential ASF incursion and subsequent diffusion. To address the question as to why the level of biosecurity is low, interviews and participant observation were conducted with smallholder commercial farmers. The interviews identified the social, cultural, and ecological factors that affect the implementation of biosecurity measures in small commercial swine farms in the Apennines. Farmers expressed knowledge of priority biosecurity measures and an overall willingness to follow rules and regulations; however, the application of the measures in practice was uneven across farms. Economic, political, and ecological factors as well as farmer beliefs about biosecurity emerged as important factors affecting the implementation of biosecurity measures. These include economic constraints, challenges posed by the mountain environment, a shifting regulatory environment, and ideas about animal welfare. Other important factors include cultural factors such as the use of traditional agricultural methods and norms about customer access to animals, time constraints and the perceived hassle of implementing the measures, farmer age, farmer relationships with government officials and veterinarians, and the role of pigs in reducing farm waste. The study confirmed that wild boar are present in high numbers and in close proximity to smallholder commercial farms in the Apennines.
非洲猪瘟（ASF）是一种传染性病毒病，可感染野生和家养猪。2022 年初，在意大利亚平宁山脉的野猪中发现了该病毒。此后，它已从野猪传播到家猪。为了控制 ASF 的传播，需要建立有效的监测系统，并在农场实施严格的生物安全措施，但这些措施在畜牧业系统中的实施并不均衡。众所周知，小农户的生物安全水平较低。在意大利的亚平宁山脉，尽管商业小型农场位于野猪密度较高的地区，因此是 ASF 传入和随后扩散的高风险地点，但这些农场的生物安全水平较低。为了解决生物安全水平低的问题，对小商业养猪户进行了访谈和参与式观察。访谈确定了影响亚平宁山脉小型商业养猪场实施生物安全措施的社会、文化和生态因素。农民表示了解优先生物安全措施，并总体上愿意遵守规则和条例；然而，这些措施在实践中的应用在各个农场之间并不均衡。经济、政治和生态因素以及农民对生物安全的看法是影响生物安全措施实施的重要因素。这些因素包括经济限制、山区环境带来的挑战、不断变化的监管环境以及对动物福利的看法。其他重要因素包括文化因素，如传统农业方法的使用和关于客户接触动物的规范、时间限制以及实施这些措施的麻烦程度、农民年龄、农民与政府官员和兽医的关系以及猪在减少农场废物方面的作用。该研究证实，在亚平宁山脉，野猪数量众多，且与小农户商业农场毗邻。
