Assessment of Cattle Owners’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Regarding Bovine Tuberculosis in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

ABSTRACT Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) remains a significant zoonotic disease in livestock production, causing considerable animal welfare and economic losses, particularly in communal farming communities where human–animal contact is close, and veterinary services are limited. This study aimed to assess communal cattle owners’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding BTB using a structured questionnaire in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. A cross‐sectional survey design was employed, and a systematic random sampling approach was used to recruit participants from villages in the Makana, Raymond Mhlaba and Enoch Mgijima local municipalities. Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 186 cattle owners using a structured questionnaire administered in IsiXhosa or English. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analyses, and binary logistic regression in SPSS (version 28) and RStudio (version 4.4.2). The findings of this study revealed low awareness: Only 18.8% of cattle owners had heard of BTB, and a limited understanding of its transmission routes, including the consumption of raw milk, undercooked meat and shared grazing land. Although 61.3% of cattle owners supported culling infected cattle, resistance to control measures persists, particularly among experienced farmers, as indicated by a negative Pearson's correlation between experience and attitude towards BTB control ( r = −0.170, p < 0.05). The low awareness levels, insufficient testing and inadequate preventive measures increase the likelihood of undetected infections and contribute to the potential spread of BTB within herds and to human beings.