The tales of contradiction: a thematic analysis of British sheep farmers perceptions of managing sheep scab in their flocks : influence of time, temperature, and burial under winter conditions

Smith, Alice Emily Olive (author), Doidge, Charlotte (author), Knific, Tanja (author), Lovatt, Fiona (author), Kaler, Jasmeet (author)

Sheep scab is endemic in Great Britain with an estimated national herd-level prevalence of 10.9% from a surveyed population of sheep farms. Previous studies have investigated how sheep farmers manage sheep scab on their farms in Great Britain, but there have not been any qualitative studies investigating sheep farmers perceptions on the roles different stakeholders have in the management of sheep scab. This qualitative study aims to explore how sheep farmers perceive their role and the different stakeholders’ roles in the management of sheep scab, and how they would like sheep scab to be managed going forward. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 43 sheep farmers from England, Scotland, and Wales. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, through the theoretical lens of Foucault’s notion of ‘biopower’. Two themes were generated: ‘The feeling of powerlessness leads to a need of rules and regulations’, with sub-themes: ‘The need for governmental rules and regulations’ and ‘The need for rules and regulation at livestock markets’, and ‘An apparent lack of sheep scab surveillance’, with sub-themes: ‘The farmers perceive that the veterinarians have control over surveillance’ and ‘The farmers have control over surveillance on their farms’. In the first theme, the respondents suggested that more rules and regulations to control the management of sheep scab was required. This included reinstating of sheep scab as a notifiable disease in England and Wales, as well as more regulations at livestock markets to prevent the trading of infested sheep; both of which would subject the farmers to regulatory power mechanisms. The second theme centred around who has the control of surveillance on the farms. Most of the respondents perceived that the veterinarians had knowledge and expertise of the local area on sheep scab, which they were able to relay to the farmers. Thus, veterinarians exerted disciplinary power by creating ‘docile’ bodies. However, it also appeared that veterinarians were not regularly called onto farms. Although disciplinary power flows through the interactions between the farmer and veterinarian, the techniques currently used are not always having their desired effect. The study demonstrated that how sheep farmers want sheep scab to be managed is, at times, conflicting and contradictory, which highlights the complexity of sheep scab as a disease to manage.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sheep scab, reflexive thematic analysis, power, semi-structured interviews, government, sheep farmers
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: VF - Veterinary Faculty
• Publication date: 01.01.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 227, [article no.] 106194
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-155800
• UDC: 636.09:616
• ISSN on article: 1873-1716
• DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106194
• COBISS.SI-ID: 191695875
• Publication date in RUL: 18.04.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Preventive veterinary medicine
• Shortened title: Prev. vet. med.
• Publisher: Elsevier BV
• ISSN: 1873-1716
• COBISS.SI-ID: 191670787

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.