Farmer-centric networks to control endemic pig diseases in the UK: using pleurisy as a case study

This exploratory project examines the relationship between animal health information and farmers: availability, the extent of analysis and interpretation, communication modes that farmers use and trust, and how information presentation influences farmer motivation to make sustainable changes to improve animal health, welfare and productivity. It investigates effectiveness of farmer-centric networks for translating information into cost-effective industry interventions to control pleurisy—an important cause of morbidity, production loss and carcass condemnation in the UK.

A pleurisy control network comprising farmers, veterinarians, processors, and industry partners will be established to discuss opportunities for, and constraints to, implementation of pleurisy control measures on-farm and across the industry more generally. Collaborating with with Scottish Pig Health Network and the English Pig Health Scheme, pig producers with pleurisy problems and their veterinarians and processors will review extant data and the extent of value-adding to data from analysis and interpretation. Producers will be consulted to assess their perception of pleurisy as a problem and identify communication modes by which they receive information about pleurisy and actively seek such information. These consultations will also identify reasons why pleurisy control measures may not be implemented and thresholds which may trigger intervention.

On selected farms, interventions to reduce pleurisy will be identified, agreed and implemented using industry seed funding, and the impact measured to demonstrate the advantages of pleurisy control. Network participants will collate and report project findings related to the challenges and benefits of pleurisy control, and propose best practices for for control of pleurisy in the UK.