Capacity enhancement on biosecurity for line supervisors working in commercial broiler farming Gujarat.

Abstract

Poultry farming in Gujarat faces persistent challenges from infectious diseases, foodborne pathogens, and the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), necessitating the adoption of stringent biosecurity measures encompassing isolation, traffic control, and sanitation. The study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and effectiveness of biosecurity practices among line supervisors involved in contractual commercial broiler farming in Gujarat. This study evaluated the socio-economic characteristics and biosecurity knowledge of 33 line supervisors through a one-day capacity-building training program. Pre- and post-training assessments, including structured questionnaires and Likert scales, were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and Factor Analysis of Mixed Data (FAMD) in R (v4.0.2). Results revealed that most participants were young (mean age 33.94), married males with higher secondary or graduate education and over a decade of poultry farming experience. Post-training evaluations showed a significant improvement in biosecurity knowledge and practices, with 75.76 % rating the training as excellent and was recognized as useful by 90.91 % of respondents. Furthermore, for the non-implementation of comprehensive biosecurity measures by the farmers, lack of awareness was the major attribute given by line supervisors (57.58 %) for the farmers, followed by inadequate control (51.52 %) and insufficient knowledge (48.48 %). Additionally, FAMD identified 76 epidemiological points across breeding farms, commercial broiler farms, and markets, offering insights into zoonotic risk and poultry distribution network (PDN) structure. The findings investigated the need for structured training and advisory support, along with government-led financial incentives, to strengthen biosecurity implementation in poultry systems.