Beliefs, Behaviors, and Practices of Farm Biosecurity in the Midwestern U.S. Swine Operations

Abstract

Effective biosecurity is crucial for preventing swine diseases, but there can be a gap between what producers intend and what actually happens on the farm. We conducted a cross-sectional, self-administered online survey of Midwestern US swine operations (N = 54) to explore beliefs and practices related to the Secure Pork Supply (SPS) plan. Because some questions had item-level nonresponse, we report proportions for the full sample (denominator = 54) and, where helpful, for those who responded to specific items (sample size varies). Across the full sample, 27.8% (15/54) said they use biosecurity measures always or sometimes. For enhanced biosecurity, 24.1% (13/54) marked always and 3.7% (2/54) sometimes-with all item responders (N = 15) indicating some level of use. Among those who answered, the influence of veterinarians was clear: 81.8% (9/11) said their vet's opinion is always important when deciding on biosecurity (compared to 16.7% in the full sample). Confidence in controlling an outbreak was similarly high among those who responded: 92.9% (13/14) reported they could always or sometimes control spread (24.1% in the full sample). That said, uptake of several specific SPS components was low-for example, only 27.3% (3/11) reported always monitoring or recording crossings of the line of separation, while 63.6% (7/11) said never. No single biosecurity practice was universally adopted, and overall, fully SPS-aligned programs appeared uncommon in this Midwestern group. These descriptive findings point to clear targets for improvement-such as better monitoring of the line of separation-and highlight potential leverage points, especially the role of attending veterinarians, for outreach efforts. Because this was a convenience sample relying on self-report and had item nonresponse, the results are not statistically representative of the broader regional industry but do provide valuable insights into respondent practices.

Keywords: foreign animal disease preparedness; producer behavior; risk perception; secure pork supply (SPS); swine biosecurity.

Figure 1

Summary of behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about swine biosecurity among midwestern swine operations. (A) Behavioral beliefs; (B) Normative beliefs; (C) Control beliefs. Rows are statements; columns are response categories (Always, Sometimes, No/Never, Not applicable, Not indicated). Cells display % of respondents (based on page completes, N = 44) and (n); rows are sorted by % Always within each panel. Not indicated shows item-level nonresponse. Color scale represents percentage (darker = higher). Full counts and item-level Ns are provided in Supplementary Table S1. Sample: respondents from Midwestern U.S. operations; estimates are descriptive and not statistically representative. Definitions of “biosecurity” and “enhanced biosecurity (SPS-aligned)” appear in Box 1.