Cattle producer knowledge toward bovine tuberculosis and implications to its control

A cross sectional study was conducted between April and July 2012 in the North of Portugal, to evaluates cattle owners' knowledge regarding bovine tuberculosis. A questionnaire was provided to 154 cattle owners. According to the survey, 14.3 % of respondents had its herd already infected by tuberculosis. Result showed that farmers have a good knowledge on the disease despite age and/or lack of training. However, 27.9 % not recognized bovine tuberculosis as one of the most important diseases of cattle due to the economical losses and trade restrictions, 25 % not recognized the airborne transmission and 46.7 % unknown wildlife as a reservoir of bovine tuberculosis. Farmer knowledge about bovine tuberculosis can be considered as an important tool to improve official erradication plans. The present results could be useful for policy makers when planning mitigation measures to consider knowledge levels by cattle owners for effective implementation.