Bitesize Biosecurity: a farmer-centric approach to the communication of information and advice about animal biosecurity

Previous research has found that a mix of factors, such as a lack of formal networks, mistrust of authorities, poor disease reporting behaviour, motivational diversity, reliance on other producers, veterinarians and family for pig health and production advice (Hernandez-Jover et al, 2012), cost (in time and money), lack of proven efficacies of practices, and lack of relevant education of veterinary surgeons, producers and other specialists (Brennan & Christley, 2012) contributed to poor uptake of biosecurity amongst farmers, not least small scale producers. Furthermore, farmers have been found to be dismissive of measures associated with biosecurity (Heffernan et al, 2008) and “there are differences between what individuals understand by the term ‘biosecurity’” (Gilmour et al., 2011 in Richens et al, 2018).
It has been suggested that farmers may be more likely to take on biosecurity information and subsequently change behaviour and practices if the communication is framed in a positive way (Mankad, 2016, p.40). To encourage behaviour change in farmers, effective methods for communicating biosecurity messages to farmers, such as direct interaction / collaboration and the use of audio-visual media and support materials which can be personalised should be considered (Moya Durán et al, 2025).
“Veterinarians play an important role in assessing risk and providing advice, but effectiveness requires farmer acceptance and implementation” which involves “a collaborative approach to biosecurity between veterinarians and farmers, including adoption of cost-effective strategies” (Cardwell et al, 2016).

Aim
To provide biosecurity information in ‘farmer friendly’ language on formats which are accessible and acceptable to farmers and farm workers who may otherwise not access the information.
Method
A mobile application, “Bitesize Biosecurity” is being tested and co-developed to support biosecurity behaviour change. The app includes a Discussion Support Tool (DST) and a range of curated biosecurity advice which can be summarised through AI tools.
Decision/Discussion support tools (DSTs) can both help farmers make decisions about their animals and business but also enable farmers to start discussions with vets and advisors, prior to making those decisions. DSTs are becoming more widely used throughout farming (Rose et al, 2016; Zhai et al, 2020). A biosecurity DST has been co-created with the direct input of scientists, vets and farmers to provide a useful and sustainable resource to improve on biosecurity conditions for farmers and livestock.
AI tools, based on Large Language Models (LLMs), using expertise from farmers, vets, and livestock advisors, has have been harnessed to process a set of curated biosecurity documents, written by experts, into a format and using language that is accessible and farmer friendly. Through a set of drop downs and filters, users are able to access biosecurity advice that is suitable for their personal circumstances.
(The not-for-profit app has been designed to be freely available, or at minimal cost, as part of project funding from the Scottish Government’s Strategic Research Programme and Innovation and Knowledge Exchange support.)
Workshop
The Bitesize Biosecurity app will be presented at the workshop. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the app, test it, and provide feedback.