Perceptions of farmers on biosecurity practices in pig farms in Thailand | |
| Author | Kwanhatai Thongpalad |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.AB-14-01 |
| Subject(s) | Swine industry--Thailand Biosecurity--Thailand--Rules and practice |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agribusiness Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. AB-14-01 |
| Abstract | Pig production industry becomes one of the important livestock sectors in Thailand. However, the pig industry has been facing many severe problems, especially the outbreaks of diseases and hurdles for the exportation of this commodity. Biosecurity is a concept of practices or measures, which are essentials to reduce the risk of infectious agents being introduced and spread in animal farms. These measures are recognized as significant parts of the livestock farm standards, including standard for pig farms. A survey was conducted on 125 pig farms in Ratchaburi province, the area with the highest pig population of Thailand. Data was gathered by means of a questionnaire submitted to farm owners and other farm staff including veterinarians. The levels of biosecurity measures currently applied on farms were examined by biosecurity scoring. The findings revealed significant differences between the biosecurity scores at different levels of farm scales. Larger scale farms reported higher biosecurity implementation. Generally, the levels of biosecurity practices in the study area were rather high. More than 80 % of evaluated biosecurity measures were implemented in the majority of farms. The understanding, attitude and farmers‟ perceptions on biosecurity issues were also examined in this study. The results showed that one - third of the respondents were considered having understanding on biosecurity principle. The understanding was found directly related to the education levels of respondents. Moreover, majority of the respondents considered that biosecurity measures were beneficial and effective. The most important measures according to the farmers‟ perceptions were the measures related to hygienic practices, human controls and vehicle controls. Most of those measures perceived as important were actually applied on the farms that cited them. Furthermore, veterinarians were cited by the highest number of respondents as the most preferred and trusted information sources on diseases prevention and control. The information on levels of biosecurity in pig farms, the understanding and attitude of farmers and the relationships between farmers‟ perceptions and measures applied on farms can be used as background information to develop the appropriate biosecurity promotion policies for pig farms in Thailand. Additionally, this study will be used as a model for further studies on biosecurity in other livestock industries. |
| Year | 2014 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. AB-14-01 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agribusiness Management (AB) |
| Chairperson(s) | Anal, Anil Kumar |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shivakoti, Ganesh P.;Grunbuhel, Clemen |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), Thailand |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Am.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2014 |