Aims and Objectives

The overarching goal of this research was to provide the first examination of the development, implementation and regulation of proactive forms of biosecurity. It did so within the context of an ongoing animal health controversy: bovine tuberculosis in cattle and badgers, a crisis costing the UK government in excess of £92 million per annum (DEFRA, 2005).

The original research aims were to:

(1) investigate how biosecurity policy is shaped at different spatial scales.

Responsibility in England lies with DEFRA and the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) in Wales. The research investigated the extent to which these different policy arrangements lead to different approaches to the use of biosecurity;

(2) research how the implementation of biosecurity varies at local levels.

Local authority officers are responsible for enforcing biosecurity policies and encouraging farmers to implement biosecurity measures. The research examined the extent to which different regulatory tactics are used to ensure compliance with biosecurity regulations; how tactics vary between officers, authorities and regulatory frameworks; and the reasons behind any differences;

(3) consider how and why farmers accept or resist biosecurity measures.

The project explored farmers' own social and cultural knowledges of animal disease and biosecurity measures; examined how they learn about biosecurity; assessed the economic implications of biosecurity; and sought to uncover the best regulatory tactics for persuading farmers to voluntarily adopt biosecurity and the reasons behind any resistance.

A primary objective of this research was to provide timely and policy valuable lessons for the development of animal health policy within the UK. In parallel to this, evidence from this research will be used to develop theories of regulation and governance. This ambition provides a response to calls for rural studies to contribute to a critical assessment of theories of governance, regulation and governmentality. Moreover, the contested nature of biosecurity, its materiality and its classification of natures allow engagement with and development of theories relating to the socio-technical construction of biosecurity, space and nature, and the sociology of scientific knowledge.