The development of a biosecurity scoring tool focussing on the risk of introduction of bovine tuberculosis

A biosecurity scoring tool was developed to evaluate the risk of cattle farms contracting bovine tuberculosis (bTB). The tool was based on a Microsoft Excel spread sheet programme and local veterinarians were asked to give their opinion on the weights that generic and specific risk factors should be allocated in the context of contracting bTB. After training, the tool was used by local veterinarians to assess the level of biosecurity on farms in a 100 square km area in South West Wales. As part of the exercise the veterinarian also identified three main areas for improvement. In total 84 farms were visited twice with a one year interval. The overall risk score reduced over the 12 month period but the level of reduction was limited to about 10%. The main reason for this limited improvement was the fact that some factors were beyond the control of the farmer.