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Assessment of External and Internal Biosecurity on Commercial Dairy Cattle Farms in Hungary
Boleratzky Kathrina Esther - year 6
University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Department of Veterinary Forensics, Law and Economics
Supervisor: Dr. László Ózsvári

Abstract:

This study assessed external and internal biosecurity practices on 22 large-scale commercial dairy cattle farms in Hungary using the Biocheck. UGent Cattle® scoring system. Data were collected between February and March 2024 and analysed using descriptive statistics, Wilcoxon signed-rank, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman correlation tests. Mean (‡ SD) external, internal and overall biosecurity scores were 84.0 9.8%, 68.4 + 11.4% and 76.4 ‡ 8.9%, respectively.

External and internal scores significantly exceeded their respective Biocheck. UGent world averages (68% and 40%), while the overall score was significantly above the derived reference value of 54% (all p < 0.001). External biosecurity scores were significantly higher than internal scores (p < 0.001). The highest mean subcategory scores were recorded for adult cattle management (95.5%) and purchase and reproduction (95.1%), whereas dairy management (52.2%), feed and water (59.6%) and calving management (63.5%) scored lowest. No statistically significant association was detected between herd size and biosecurity performance. The findings highlight the need for targeted improvements in feed storage protection, milking and calving hygiene, and regular staff training.



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