Moya Sebastian, Espluga-Trenc Josep, Enticott Gareth
Centre for Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine (CEVM), School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, United Kingdom; Host-Pathogen Interactions (IHAP) - National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) - École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), Toulouse, France.
Institut de Govern i Polítiques Públiques / Departament de Sociologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès) 08193, Spain.
Prev Vet Med. 2025 Feb;235:106407. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106407. Epub 2024 Dec 11.
This study explores the implementation of biosecurity measures by farm workers through daily work routines on dairy cattle farms in Spain. The implementation of biosecurity measures on dairy cattle farms is mainly decided by farmers and veterinarians, but it is carried out by both farmers and farm workers. However, farm workers may be affected by socio-employment factors such as the precariousness of their work such that implementation of biosecurity measures may be context dependent and may differ from official recommendations. An ethnographic approach was used through observations and conversations on four farms in two regions of Spain, two in Galicia (north-west) and two in Catalonia (north-east) to explore these factors. The profiles of participants were farmer-family workers, internal worker-employees and external worker-employees. Results showed that there were social differences, particularly communicative and hierarchical differences, between workers and farmers that influenced the implementation of biosecurity measures. Workers implemented biosecurity practices incompletely, differently or incorrectly from their supervisors' instructions. Workers also relied on what the authors called an anthropomorphic approach to implementing biosecurity measures, which deviated from farm guidelines. In order to improve the implementation of biosecurity measures on dairy cattle farms, it is necessary to consider workers as key stakeholders in biosecurity. Such consideration could also help to professionalise workers, reduce their turnover and increase their permanence on these farms.
本研究探讨了西班牙奶牛场的农场工人通过日常工作流程实施生物安全措施的情况。奶牛场生物安全措施的实施主要由农民和兽医决定，但由农民和农场工人共同执行。然而，农场工人可能会受到社会就业因素的影响，比如工作的不稳定，以至于生物安全措施的实施可能取决于具体情况，可能与官方建议有所不同。通过对西班牙两个地区的四个农场（加利西亚地区（西北部）两个，加泰罗尼亚地区（东北部）两个）进行观察和对话，采用人种志方法来探究这些因素。参与者包括农民家庭工人、内部职工和外部雇工。结果表明，工人与农民之间存在社会差异，尤其是沟通和等级差异，这影响了生物安全措施的实施。工人实施生物安全措施时不完全、不同或不正确地遵循主管的指示。工人还依赖作者所称的拟人化方法来实施生物安全措施，这偏离了农场的指导方针。为了改善奶牛场生物安全措施的实施情况，有必要将工人视为生物安全的关键利益相关者。这种考虑也有助于使工人专业化，减少他们的流动率，并增加他们在这些农场的留存率。
