PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET
PROJECT TITLE: On-farm Biosecurity and Abattoir Production Survey
HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE APPROVAL NUMBER: H-2016-009
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Dr Charles Caraguel
Dear Sheep and Cattle producer,
You have been contacted by your industry group on behalf of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) to see if you are interested in participating in a survey looking at the association between biosecurity practices and abattoir productivity. This project is being conducted collaboratively by The University of Adelaide Veterinary School, Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) and Thomas Foods International (TFI). To link your Biosecurity practices with your farm productivity, we will access your 2015 abattoir production outputs at TFI. So if you have not consigned either sheep or cattle to TFI in 2015 then you are unfortunately not eligible for this study. If you have consigned livestock to TFI in 2015, please, find further information about the survey below.
What is the project about?
PIRSA is considering introducing a voluntary on-farm biosecurity accreditation program. As it will be a new program it is necessary to confirm if good on-farm biosecurity practices are associated with economic advantages and increased productivity. This project aims to investigate the association between biosecurity practices (assessed using a phone On-farm Biosecurity Questionnaire) and the farm productivity (measured using abattoir production outputs). Upon completion of the survey, the questionnaire and the abattoir data will be analysed to estimate the strength of the association i.e. does abattoir outputs increase as the biosecurity practice score increases. Personal information collected as part of this survey will be protected and will remain confidential, and any results will be aggregated so no individual identification is reported.
Who is undertaking the project?
This project is being conducted through the collaborative efforts of PIRSA Biosecurity SA Animal Health: Dr Mary Carr, Thomas Foods International: Dr David Rutley and The University of Adelaide: Dr Charles Caraguel.
Why am I being invited to participate?
You are invited to participate in this study because you run cattle and/or sheep in the South East region of South Australia which has been identified as a region of choice for this project.
What will I be asked to do?
Once you have completed and returned the consent form you will be rung by a PIRSA Animal Health staff member at a convenient time to conduct a 20 minute over-the-phone survey about your farm biosecurity practices. With your consent, your 2015 abattoir production outputs will then be withdrawn from TFI and linked to your questionnaire answers. A small random subset of participants who agree to have their farm visited by a PIRSA officer will have their biosecurity practices independently scored for data quality control and assurance purposes.
Are there any risks associated with participating in this project?
There are no foreseeable risks associated with participating in this survey. However, if after the study you are concerned about your current biosecurity practices, or wish to improve your biosecurity practices, PIRSA Biosecurity SA Animal Health can provide advice on these issues.
What are the benefits of the research project?
You may gain a greater awareness of biosecurity practices and their benefits and choose to improve your on farm biosecurity as a result of being involved in the survey.
The benefit to the industry is to have an increased understanding of the association between biosecurity and farm production or profitability.
Can I withdraw from the project?
Your participation in this project is completely voluntary. If you agree to participate, you can withdraw from the study at any time. If you choose to withdraw or not participate in the survey there will be no impact on your relationship with PIRSA, TFI or The University of Adelaide.
What will happen to my information?
All information collected for the project will be confidentially and securely stored electronically by PIRSA Biosecurity for a period of five years. Only non-identifiable data will be available to the collaborating investigators from The University of Adelaide and Thomas Foods International for the analysis component of the project. Results from this study will be made available to you and the wider livestock industry on completion, in a summary report. A journal article may also be published upon completion of the study. Any published results will not identify you or any other individual participants.
Further research projects
In the future PIRSA and The University of Adelaide may wish to compare your Biosecurity rating determined in the survey with other measures of farm productivity or diseases; such the disease and conditions data that PIRSA holds as a part of the Enhanced Abattoir Surveillance Program for sheep. In this instance, you will contacted for additional consent.
Who do I contact if I have questions about the project?
The primary contact person for this study is Dr Mary Carr, Senior Veterinary Officer at PIRSA Biosecurity SA. [email protected] 08 8207 7900 or 0437 328 592.
What if I have a complaint or any concerns?
The study has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at the University of Adelaide (approval number H-2016-009). If you have questions or problems associated with the practical aspects of your participation in the project, or wish to raise a concern or complaint about the project, then you should consult the Principal Investigator. Contact the Human Research Ethics Committees Secretariat on phone +61 8 8313 6028 or by email to [email protected] if you wish to speak with an independent person regarding concerns or a complaint, the Universitys policy on research involving human participants, or your rights as a participant.
Any complaint or concern that is received will be treated in confidence and fully investigated, and you will be informed of the outcome.
If I want to participate, what should I do?
If you are willing to participate in the study, email your signed consent form to Dr Mary Carr ([email protected]). You will then be contacted to undertake the survey over the phone. Alternatively, email or phone Dr Mary Carr to indicate your interest and you will be sent a consent form in the mail, with a reply paid envelope for its return.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Mary Carr: Senior Veterinary Officer, PIRSA Biosecurity Animal Health
[email protected] 08 8207 7872
Dr David Rutley: Lamb Supply Chain co-ordinator, Thomas Foods International [email protected] 0488 581 555
Dr Charles Caraguel: Veterinary Epidemiologist, University of Adelaide Veterinary School. [email protected] 08 8313 1245
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