Define feasible incentive structures that could meaningfully improve adoption of preparedness measures for an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) by different sectors of the beef production…

Define feasible incentive structures that could meaningfully improve adoption of preparedness measures for an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) by different sectors of the beef production industry. The secure beef supply plan contains recommended actions to be adopted by beef industry participants to enhance continuity of business in the event of an outbreak of FMD. Adoption of such measures by the beef industry has been slow and inadequate to the challenge despite large investments in educational efforts. We recognize that education is necessary, but not sufficient to induce widespread behavior change by the private sector. We will assemble representatives of each sector of the beef industry for interviews and discussions of the types of incentives that would motivate them to change behavior towards adoption of biosecurity measures and preparedness. These groups will include financial institutions, truckers, feedlots, allied industries, pharmaceutical industry, producers, packers, regulatory officials, veterinarians, producer groups, sale barn managers and extension educators. We will then assemble FMD workshops that include multiple sectors of the industry to explore relationships between these stakeholders and how particular incentives could be deployed. We will use socio-economic methods to analyze the types of incentives and incentive structures that are most likely to be successful in motivating action by stakeholders. Our findings will be distributed via publications, reports, and discussions with regulatory authorities and policy makers. We expect to deliver incentive pathways for improving the motivation of beef industry participants to adopt preparedness measures such as enhanced biosecurity and cooperation between beef industry sectors. Pairing incentives with the current educational efforts may lead to increased participation in preparedness efforts. The primary beneficiaries are beef industry participants, but improved resilience of the beef industry against FMD incursion will provide long term benefit to the communities and consumers who rely on the industry. We believe that using this method of exploring producer motivation to change could have far reaching effects on approaches to other problems where public policy and production industries intersect, such as hazard disaster response, animal traceability, antimicrobial use, and sustainable agricultural practices.