Some experiences from workshops on biosecurity measures intended for domestic animal breeders

Abstract

Starting in 2003, primarily motivated by the re-emergence of brucellosis in small ruminants after several decades, several workshops were held on the topic of how breeders can reduce the risk of introducing various infectious diseases in their farms. The later outbreaks of different diseases maintained the interest of breeders in the topic of biosecurity and protection of their breeding from infectious diseases. The goal of the lecture was not for breeders to know the characteristics of certain diseases, but to become aware of their existence, the risks for their breeding and what they can do to reduce the risk of introducing them into their breeding. Our experiences are: 1. breeders should know the health status of their herds, not only in terms of diseases that are necessarily controlled by state surveillance programs, a breeder whose herd is free from other infections pays more attention to measures to protect his herd; 2. it is not reasonable to believe that farmers will accept all recommendations at once, it takes time to accept and understand the significance; 3. the acceptance and embracing of new knowledge are less likely from older breeders (in terms of age) and those who have small-scale production; 4. for the breeder, the level of investment is critical to the adoption of new biosecurity measures, it is desirable that the lecturer knows the basics of financial movements in a particular branch of animal production in order to better understand the possibilities of the breeder, and that he does not set too high requirements, because then the breeder will be excluded from the measures that are easier to implement.