| Biosecurity
Controlling disease in farm animals
How to prevent infections through biosecurity measures, quarantine procedures and what to do if disease breaks out
on your farm.
isease outbreaks
among farm
animals can cause
significant
economic
damage. However,
you can limit the impact through
preventative and control
measures.
You must ensure that you follow
biosecurity procedures, such as
cleaning and disinfecting premises
and vehicles. If there is an
outbreak, government contingency
plans will be followed. These plans
include designating affected
premises, setting up protection
and surveillance zones, and
controls on livestock movements.
This guide explains the special
measures which apply in cases
affecting poultry - such as avian
influenza or ‘bird flu’ - and to the
treatment of fresh meat, milk and
milk products in affected areas.
This guide also outlines ways to
reduce the risk of animal diseases
being transmitted to humans,
including procedures to protect
visitors on open farms.
Biosecurity and disease control
Biosecurity measures can help
prevent the spread of farmed
diseases - including notifiable
diseases - across the UK. They
also protect agricultural workers
and visitors. Different biosecurity
procedures apply to animals on
farms and to animals being
moved, for example to markets
and agricultural shows.
Disease control through
biosecurity focuses on controlling
and reducing movements of
D
animals, people and vehicles to
and from areas where livestock is
kept.
On-farm biosecurity measures
include:
• cleaning and disinfecting
protective clothing and vehicles
before and after contact with
animals
• use of disposable protective
clothing
During an outbreak, the
Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs (Defra) will
usually impose restrictions on
animal movements, and suspend
agricultural markets and shows.
Standard biosecurity measures at
markets and shows are based on
the ‘clean in, clean off’ principle,
eg:
• banning vehicles, equipment
and clothing contaminated with
animal excreta - except vehicle
interiors and protective clothing
taken off site for laundering
• cleaning contamination from
clothes before leaving animal
areas
• cleaning and disinfecting
boots before leaving animal areas
You should check the health
status of livestock before buying or
selling animals. New animals
should be kept separate from
existing stock on first arrival.
Biosecurity for specific livestock
species
There are also some biosecurity
measures that you need to be
aware of for specific animals.
Cattle
Cattle biosecurity measures
follow general principles of
30 | Farming Monthly | April 2018
controlling stock movement, and
disinfecting vehicles and clothes
belonging to people travelling
between sites.
Related measures to control
foot and mouth disease include
covering disinfectant footbaths
between uses so they are not
diluted by rain. You should also
prevent cattle from coming into
contact with animals that cannot
develop the disease, but can
transmit infected material - for
example, dogs, cats, poultry and
foxes.
You can limit bovine
tuberculosis transmission by
deterring badgers from entering
properties - for example with yard
dogs, water jets or pigs - and
ensuring that feed containers are
sealed to prevent contamination.
Other control measures include
the control of fallen stock - animals
that die on your farm because of
accident or disease. These control
measures are of particular
relevance to the control of bovine
spongiform encephalopathy.
Carcasses are classed as animal
by-products and must be
disposed of under the rules of the
National Fallen Stock Scheme or
by an approved private contractor.
Pigs
Pig biosecurity procedures
must be of a high standard to
prevent the spread of infectious
diseases such as swine influenza.
Pig farmers should:
• prohibit unnecessary visitors
to the farm
• cleanse and disinfect any
shared equipment before it enters
and after it leaves your premises
• make sure that personnel in
contact with pigs at different
premises take standard
precautions, such as cleaning and
disinfecting boots and clothing
• prevent people with flu-like
symptoms coming into contact
with pigs
Sheep and goats
Sheep and goat biosecurity
control follows the general
principles of controlling
movements of people and
livestock, as well as disinfecting
vehicles, equipment, clothing and
footwear. Diseases of sheep and
goats may not always be apparent
in the early stages, so stock
keepers should regularly monitor
their animals for signs of illness.
As with cattle, fallen sheep and
goats should be treated as animal
by-products and disposed of using
standard fallen stock procedures.
Poultry
Poultry farmers can increase the
biosecurity of flocks through
standard control measures, such
as washing hands after handling
birds and disinfecting boots when
travelling between farms.
Poultry-specific measures include:
• use of disposable protective
clothing where practicable
• providing clean drinking water
and food - preferably indoors to
prevent contamination by wild
animals
• isolating new birds
• having a plan for bringing a
flock indoors if necessary
• cleaning and disinfecting
housing at the end of each cycle
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