Farm

Biosecurity

Why should I know?

Biosecurity is like any other insurance policy

and as such it is a prudent investment. And
Verily an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure.
Consideration before investment
Must be included in your future projection
Starts from A of your production and ends
at Z
Essential element of Risk Management.
Vaccination is not always successful.

Animal Biosecurity

Animal biosecurity is the product of all

actions undertaken by an entity to
prevent introduction of disease agents
into a specific area.
Animal biosecurity may protect
organisms from infectious agents or
noninfectious agents such as toxins or
pollutants, and can be executed in areas
as large as a nation or as small as a local
farm.

Aims of Animal Biosecurity

Animal biosecurity takes into account

the epidemiological triad for disease
occurrence: the individual host, the
disease, and the environment in
contributing to disease susceptibility.
It aims to improve nonspecific immunity
of the host to resist the introduction of
an agent, or limit the risk that an agent
will be sustained in an environment at
adequate levels.

General Factors to be taken in account

from the day of commencement

Location and layout of property and production area

Source of water supply and feed
Disease status of the district
Proximity to other production areas with
avian/cattle species
Presence and type of wildlife
Interface with the organizations and/or individual
clients that are being supplied. These interactions
include pick-ups, servicemen, industry personnel,
contractors, and deliveries of day-old chicks and
feed.

Follow the course of bug

Animals and birds themselves

People
Equipments
Vehicles
Air
Water Supply
Feed
Litter/Sand in Bunkers/ Mats

Levels of Biosecurity

Level 1 includes SOPs of daily routine

Level 2 includes high-risk Biosecurity

Procedures.

Level 1

Documentation of standard operations and procedures

and Training of farm personnel on all those standards.
They must be well-versed, well organized and disciplined
in this regard.
Facility standards must be devised to keep the farm
Semi-permeable allowing only the essential elements in
or out the premises. It includes
A. Well defined boundary and fencing
B. Farm must be mapped on every new extension
C. Process of Authorization of Vehicles and people
D. Closed Gate

Continued

E. Entrance must be provided with a Parking area,

loading and unloading facility, Changing room,
Waiting room, Washrooms, Mess, Sanitization facility,
Showers for both Vehicles and people
F. Well Defined and Biosecure Post-mortem area and
dead animal disposal facility which must be
Environmentally safe as well. Standard procedures
must be adopted in this regard.
G. Building must be designed to prevent wild birds,
wild animals, reptiles, insects from entering the
vicinity of the production area.
H. Selection of landscape must be both to repel wild
animals/reptiles/insects and acting as environmental
buffer during harsh weather conditions.

I. Drainage is the most important factor as it presents

a challenging situation in corporate dairy farms. Sheds
must be forming a linear angle with each other. From
Shed 1 till the last where drains enters the big dump
pit must be in an inclined way supported with a
pumping facility per 400 animals.
J. Vermin combat procedure must be there especially
for crows in a dairy farm esp. Supplemented with a
baiting program for rodents in a poultry farm.
K. Drinking water must be according to standards and
must be duly treated and medicated via chlorination or
iodination.
L. Feed storage and silos must also be bio-secure.
There must not be any spill over.

3.Personal Standards and Procedures are to minimize the risk

posed by production personnel.
1. They must avoid coming in contact with the
same type of animals e.g. poultry production personnel
must avoid any bird and that of dairy must avoid any sort
of animals.
2. Any company production personnel visiting the
sheds must visit all areas in the same single day.
3. Visits must be allowed only to people coming
from clean areas. Mobile phones and such gadgets act as
potential carriers to pathogens (RVAS Journal).
4. Repair and maintenance people and equipments
must be thoroughly sanitized.
5. Pick-up flocks must be picked from younger to
older one

Operational standards include water supply, vermin control, cleaning and ground
maintenance, record keeping and end of batch procedures, new imports.
1. Standard water supply is critical to efficient biosecurity of the farm.
Chlorination must be checked using color strips and it must be around 2ppm.
Preferably water must be filtered and processed.
2. Bait stations must be checked and refreshed regularly.
3. Feed spills must be removed; grass must be cut, stagnant water must be
drained, manure deposits must be scratched properly and footbaths must be
monitored daily.
4. Bird mortality must be recorded including the disease or signs and symptoms.
A record of bird movement must be kept.
5. In a dairy farm showering system must be checked thoroughly for any
potential contamination and it can be used for the disinfection and antisepsis.
6. The newly purchased animals must have a systemic way to get quarantined.
Sheds must be isolated in terms of vehicle, personnel and equipment exchange.
Proper lay out for movement within farm must be devised which offer least
contamination and contact with old herd.

Level 2: High Risk

Biosecurity Procedures

Action plan for suspected emergency animal disease must

be clearly stated and laborers, stockmen, management,
technicians must be trained enough to perform in such
circumstances.
No outsiders no matter how much important they must be
allowed. Repair and maintenance work must be stopped.
Preferably only farm equipments must be used.
In a dairy farm. Shed to shed stockmen and equipments
must not be exchanged. Farm must be divided into units
and all the farm machinery including TMR machines,
Scrapping tractors, Feed trolleys and drainage machines
must be specified for each unit. Milkmen of multiple milkparlors must not be exchanged.

Vaccinating neighbors and

Collaboration with local veterinarians

Although, vaccine imparts specific immunity

to your as against bio-security measures
which are meant for non-specific immunity
yet one of the most important step towards
farm health is vaccination of animals in your
proximity. You must ensure that your
neighbors have got their animals immunized.
Local District Veterinarian must be contacted
on regular basis for surveillance and
monitoring of any disease outbreak.

Chemicals required at farm

level for disinfection

Potassium per manganate is an oxidant which is

good for viruses, bacteria and fungus.
Ecofleece and Seguvan as pesticides and
insecticides.
Bromocept, FAM 30,GPC 8,NaOH are some very
good commercial products available for
disinfection which must used alternatively for ideal
results. Bromocept and FAM 30 can be used to
spray on feedstuff as well.
Calcium Carbonate for maintaining dry condition
and as weak disinfectant is an essential element of
farm disinfection.

Equipments and clothing

essentials

Spray machines.
Go Through Automatic spray units
Scrapers
Gum boots and Disposable shoes
Dongrees for visitors
Door mats and foam mats for
impregnation with disinfectants.
Foot dips and limestone sheets.

On the last note

Future Medicine aims at prevention more than

treatment. Because once your prevention
fails, treatment cost literally absorbs all of
your profit. An excellent vaccination plan, a
high producing breed and all your capital is
razed to ground with the failure of Biosecurity
measures. So, while developing your
feasibility report always keep in mind that
true safety of your each and every penny is
dependant not upon general Security or
some Security guard but on Biosecurity.

Thank You