Biosecurity for producers

Suggested Steps to Improve Biosecurity on your Farm

Farm Visitors

• Have a single entry to the farm for vehicular traffic
• Have a single entry to the farm buildings for visitors
• Do not allow contact with the animals unless necessary
• Keep visitors out of feeding and feed storage areas
• Provide freshly laundered coveralls, boots (disposable or disinfected slip on’s), and hats for visitors who will enter animal areas
• Have visitors who will interact with animals wash their hands
• Any visitors who will touch cows’ udders must wear gloves
• Consider footbaths containing disinfecting solution in all pedestrian doorways
  Change the disinfecting solution whenever organic matter (feed, manure, etc.) becomes apparent

Visitors/Visiting Workers from Foreign Countries

• Provide clean clothing and footwear for visitors who will have contact with your animals
• Visitors from countries where Foot and Mouth Disease is endemic must disinfect clothing before visiting
• Visitors from countries where Foot and Mouth Disease is endemic must avoid ALL contact with both livestock and wildlife for 14 days prior to visiting a US farm

Cleaning

• Disinfectants cannot work in the presence of organic matter (feed, manure, etc.)
• When cleaning animal areas or equipment, remove all organic matter by sweeping, washing, scraping, etc. prior to disinfecting
• For best disinfecting results, thoroughly wash areas with a cleaning solution prior to disinfecting
• Thorough cleaning can remove 85-95% of microbes
• Keep separate tools for manure handling and feeding

Disinfecting

• Disinfect foot trimming equipment between farms
• Disinfect veterinary and identification equipment between animals, groups and farms
• Disinfecting should begin only after surfaces are clean and dry
• Disinfecting procedures should
  Start at the top of the item to be disinfected and work down
• Ensure that disinfectant solution runs off all the surfaces
• Allow disinfected surfaces to dry before using
• Suggested disinfectant for Foot and Mouth Disease
  1 ounce of household bleach per gallon of water
  2.5 ounces of household bleach per gallon of water for soiled surfaces such as boots

Pest Control

• Remove attractants such as spilled feed, spoiled feed, manure, weeds, brushy areas
• Plug holes and gaps that rodents can enter
• Use netting and ventilation grills to prevent rodents and birds from entering animal areas
• Move animal carcasses away from buildings, feed storage and corrals immediately
• Use fly sprays, fly baits, rodent baits, and traps to contain pest populations
• Keep domestic pets away from farm premises
• Keep birds, rodents, domestic pets, and wildlife out of feed storage and feeding areas

Isolation of New Livestock

• Isolate new arrivals
• Establish isolation, testing, and vaccination protocols with your veterinarian

Sources

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/

National Milk Producers Federation

USDA-APHIS

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/