title: Perceptions of antimicrobial usage, antimicrobial resistance and policy measures to reduce antimicrobial usage in convenient samples of Belgian, French, German, Swedish and Swiss pig farmers.
abstract: We conducted a survey among convenient samples of pig farmers (N=281) in Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. We identified some significant differences among the five investigated countries (independent variable) regarding farmers' antimicrobial usage compared to their own country and worries related to pig farming (dependent variables), but most of the differences were rather small. In general, farmers perceived their own antimicrobial usage to be lower than that of their peers in the same country and lower than or similar to that of farmers from other countries. This may be a consequence of our convenience sample, resulting in self-selection of highly motivated farmers. Farmers were significantly more worried about financial/legal issues than about antimicrobial resistance. They believed that a reduction in revenues for slaughter pigs treated with a large amount of antimicrobials would have the most impact on reduced antimicrobial usage in their country. Further, farmers who were more worried about antimicrobial resistance and who estimated their own antimicrobial usage as lower than their fellow countrymen, perceived more impact from policy measures on the reduction of antimicrobials. Our results indicated that the same policy measures can be applied to reduce antimicrobial usage in pig farming in all five countries. Moreover, it seems worthwhile to increase pig farmers' awareness of the threat of antimicrobial resistance and its relation to antimicrobial usage; not only because pig farmers appeared little worried about antimicrobial usage but also because it affected farmers' perception of policy measures to reduce antimicrobial usage. Our samples were not representative for the national pig farmer populations. Further research is therefore needed to examine to what extent our findings can be generalised to these populations and to farmers in other countries.
authors: ETH Zurich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Consumer Behavior, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: vvisschers@ethz.ch.
authors: V H M
authors: VH
authors: Visschers
authors: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Clinical Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Backhans
authors: SAFOSO Inc., Bern-Liebefeld, Switzerland; UMR BIOEPAR, Oniris, INRA, LUNAM, Nantes, France.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Collineau
authors: ETH Zurich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Consumer Behavior, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Iten
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Field Station for Epidemiology, Bakum, Germany.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Loesken
authors: Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Postma
authors: UMR BIOEPAR, Oniris, INRA, LUNAM, Nantes, France.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Belloc
authors: Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Dewulf
authors: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Clinical Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Emanuelson
authors: University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Field Station for Epidemiology, Bakum, Germany.
authors: E Grosse
authors: EG
authors: Beilage
authors: ETH Zurich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Consumer Behavior, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Siegrist
authors: National Veterinary Institute, Department of Animal Health and Antimicrobial Strategies, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Sjölund
authors: SAFOSO Inc., Bern-Liebefeld, Switzerland.
authors: K D C
authors: KD
authors: Stärk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D033161:Government Regulation; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011584:Psychology; D011639:Public Opinion; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D034421:Sus scrofa; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Antimicrobial usage; Perception of policy measures; Pig farmers; Risk perception; Survey