Adaptive conjoint analysis to determine perceived risk factors of farmers,veterinarians and AI technicians for introduction of BHV1 to dairy farms

A study was carried out to determine the possibility of a more-closed farmi ng system for (Dutch) dairy farms. The objective of the study was to provid e effective and economically profitable management advice for improving the animal-health status of farms. Management measures will only be successful ly applied if supported by farmers and their advisors (such as veterinarian s). Therefore, the perception of farmers and advisors of the importance of various risk factors for the introduction of diseases to a farm was determi ned by using bovine herpes virus type 1 (BHV1) as an example. As part of the study, an evening-long workshop was organized and run thrice , In total, 49 farmers, veterinarians and Al technicians participated in th ese workshops. The computerized questionnaire technique was based on adapti ve conjoint analysis (ACA). ACA has the advantage that participants can wor k with a large number of risk factors in a relatively short period of time. Another advantage of ACA (compared with standard questionnaires) is that t he answers from each participant can be checked with regard to consistency with respect to the importance assigned to them. Data from participants wit h inconsistent responses can be excluded from further analyses, The results of the ACA interview were compared with the risk factors reported in the l iterature as being associated with BHV1 status (e.g. purchase of cattle, pa rticipation in cattle shows) and with farmers' actual management to prevent the introduction of diseases. The workshop participants were all operating in the dairy sector and they s eemed well aware of the risk of direct animal contacts for the introduction of BHV1. I;armers thought visitors to be more risky than did Al technician s and (especially) veterinarians. Farmers who purchased cattle or participa ted in cattle shows were of the opinion that the risks of direct animal con tacts were more important than did farmers who were not involved in those p ractices. Farmers whose farms were BHV1-positive (and participated in cattl e shows more often) thought the risk of participation smaller than did farm ers with BHV1-negative farms. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.