90% of farmers unaware of risk of disease

Nine out of 10 farmers are unaware that healthy animals can be a source of infection to themselves and to their family.

More than half do not realise that disease can be contracted from sick poultry or pets.

A survey to determine farmers’ knowledge of the risk of spread of infection, published in the journal Epidemiology and Infection, found younger farmers (under 45) were more likely than older farmers to know what a zoonosis is: that it is possible to catch an infection from healthy animals, sick poultry or pets.