ASSESSMENT OF BIOSECURITY PRACTICES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH AFRICAN SWINE FEVER STATUS IN PIG FARMS IN LAGOS STATE (2020–2024)

Abstract

African swine fever (ASF) remains a major constraint to pig production, particularly in high-density production clusters such as Lagos State, Nigeria, despite increasing awareness of biosecurity measures. This study assessed biosecurity practices across three pig farm sites, compared component scores, evaluated their association with ASF status, and identified predictors of biosecurity performance in Lagos State between 2020 and 2024. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 358 pig farms in Oke-Aro and Gberigbe piggery estates using systematic sampling. Data were collected using a structured electronic questionnaire. Biosecurity was assessed across isolation, traffic control, and sanitation components using a binary scoring system. Farms were classified as having good (≥50%) or poor (<50%) biosecurity. ASF status was determined using polymerase chain reaction for a subset of farms, complemented by World Organisation for Animal Health standard clinical and epidemiological case definitions. Overall, 61.5% of farms had good biosecurity (mean score: 25.63 ± 5.56), with significant variation across sites (p<0.001). The ASF outbreak of 2020 was reported in 80.4% of farms, with the highest occurrence in Site B (90.1%). Farms in Site B (AOR=0.30, 95% CI: 0.17–0.53) and Site C (AOR=0.39, 95% CI: 0.20–0.76) were less likely to have good biosecurity compared to Site A. Larger herd size was associated with better biosecurity (AOR=2.09, 95% CI: 1.14–3.95). No significant association was observed between overall biosecurity level and ASF occurrence (p=0.271). Although biosecurity practices were moderately adequate, ASF remained widespread, suggesting that farm-level biosecurity alone is insufficient in h