TY - JOUR
T1 - How commercial and non-commercial swine producers move pigs in Scotland: a detailed descriptive analysis
AU - Porphyre, T
AU - Boden, LA
AU - Correia-Gomes, C
AU - Auty, HK
AU - Gunn, GJ
AU - Woolhouse, MEJ
N1 - 1023410
PY - 2014
Y1 - 2014
N2 - Background: The impact of non-commercial producers on disease spread via livestock movement is related to their
level of interaction with other commercial actors within the industry. Although understanding these relationships is
crucial in order to identify likely routes of disease incursion and transmission prior to disease detection, there has
been little research in this area due to the difficulties of capturing movements of small producers with sufficient
resolution. Here, we used the Scottish Livestock Electronic Identification and Traceability (ScotEID) database to
describe the movement patterns of different pig production systems which may affect the risk of disease spread
within the swine industry. In particular, we focused on the role of small pig producers.
Results: Between January 2012 and May 2013, 23,169 batches of pigs were recorded moving animals between
2382 known unique premises. Although the majority of movements (61%) were to a slaughterhouse, the
non-commercial and the commercial sectors of the Scottish swine industry coexist, with on- and off-movement of
animals occurring relatively frequently. For instance, 13% and 4% of non-slaughter movements from professional
producers were sent to a non-assured commercial producer or to a small producer, respectively; whereas 43%
and 22% of movements from non-assured commercial farms were sent to a professional or a small producer,
respectively. We further identified differences between producer types in several animal movement characteristics
which are known to increase the risk of disease spread. Particularly, the distance travelled and the use of haulage
were found to be significantly different between producers.
Conclusions: These results showed that commercial producers are not isolated from the non-commercial sector of
the Scottish swine industry and may frequently interact, either directly or indirectly. The observed patterns in the
frequency of movements, the type of producers involved, the distance travelled and the use of haulage companies
provide insights into the structure of the Scottish swine industry, but also highlight different features that may
increase the risk of infectious diseases spread in both Scotland and the UK. Such knowledge is critical for
developing more robust biosecurity and surveillance plans and better preparing Scotland against incursions of
emerging swine diseases.
AB - Background: The impact of non-commercial producers on disease spread via livestock movement is related to their
level of interaction with other commercial actors within the industry. Although understanding these relationships is
crucial in order to identify likely routes of disease incursion and transmission prior to disease detection, there has
been little research in this area due to the difficulties of capturing movements of small producers with sufficient
resolution. Here, we used the Scottish Livestock Electronic Identification and Traceability (ScotEID) database to
describe the movement patterns of different pig production systems which may affect the risk of disease spread
within the swine industry. In particular, we focused on the role of small pig producers.
Results: Between January 2012 and May 2013, 23,169 batches of pigs were recorded moving animals between
2382 known unique premises. Although the majority of movements (61%) were to a slaughterhouse, the
non-commercial and the commercial sectors of the Scottish swine industry coexist, with on- and off-movement of
animals occurring relatively frequently. For instance, 13% and 4% of non-slaughter movements from professional
producers were sent to a non-assured commercial producer or to a small producer, respectively; whereas 43%
and 22% of movements from non-assured commercial farms were sent to a professional or a small producer,
respectively. We further identified differences between producer types in several animal movement characteristics
which are known to increase the risk of disease spread. Particularly, the distance travelled and the use of haulage
were found to be significantly different between producers.
Conclusions: These results showed that commercial producers are not isolated from the non-commercial sector of
the Scottish swine industry and may frequently interact, either directly or indirectly. The observed patterns in the
frequency of movements, the type of producers involved, the distance travelled and the use of haulage companies
provide insights into the structure of the Scottish swine industry, but also highlight different features that may
increase the risk of infectious diseases spread in both Scotland and the UK. Such knowledge is critical for
developing more robust biosecurity and surveillance plans and better preparing Scotland against incursions of
emerging swine diseases.
KW - Contingency planning
KW - Livestock movement
KW - Pig
KW - Risk of infection
U2 - 10.1186/1746-6148-10-140
DO - 10.1186/1746-6148-10-140
M3 - Article
SN - 1746-6148
VL - 10
JO - BMC Veterinary Research
JF - BMC Veterinary Research
IS - 140
ER -