Farm Health Safeguards: Regulating Access and Cleanliness
In an effort to safeguard livestock populations and prevent the introduction or reintroduction of diseases, states have established specific requirements for animals arriving at farms. This proactive approach is part of a comprehensive biosecurity strategy that encompasses measures at national, state, and herd levels.
Biosecurity measures are instrumental in maintaining the health of livestock. Diseases of concern for states include brucellosis, tuberculosis, pseudorabies, and others. To minimise risks, producers are advised to purchase animals from sources with known health status and establish a Veterinary-Client-Patient-Relationship (VCPR).
At the herd level, diseases such as Streptococcus agalactiae mastitis, bovine viral diarrhoea, bovine progressive pneumonia, swine dysentery, and others are managed. In emergency disease situations, such as the presence of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) in the United States, restrictions to access the farm and disinfection of vehicles become crucial.
The introduction of new animals or animals that have been commingled with or exposed to other animals poses the greatest risk for disease introduction. Common sources for disease introduction in livestock farms include domestic and wild animals, people and equipment, vectors, animal contact, contaminated feed or meat scraps, and shared water or feed sources.
To mitigate these risks, preventive measures emphasise biosecurity, including isolation of sick or new animals, vector control, vaccination, and purchasing animals from reputable sources with good health management. Cleaning and disinfection of equipment like front-end buckets and skid-steer loaders should be routine.
Biosecurity in livestock production aims to keep disease agents out of populations, herds, or groups of animals. Visitors from urban areas or with no livestock contact present very little risk of introducing disease to the farm. However, high-risk visitors, such as inseminators, processing crews, veterinarians, livestock haulers, and livestock-owning neighbours, should follow strict guidelines.
Low-risk visitors should wear freshly laundered outerwear and clean footwear, not enter pens or walk through feed alleys, and not bring food articles onto the farm. Wildlife can carry and spread some diseases, so keeping barnyards and surroundings unattractive to wildlife can help prevent potential contact.
Farm equipment that has come into contact with livestock or their bodily discharges can be a source of infections. Manure-hauling equipment should not be shared between farms without thorough cleaning and disinfection. Vehicle tires and undercarriages can harbor disease-causing germs, especially if they have come into direct contact with animal discharges.
Farm employees who have livestock at their own home should be required to report to work personally clean and in clean clothes that have not been exposed to their livestock. New arrivals or animals returning to the herd should be isolated for at least two weeks, preferably a month, and tested for diseases of concern before being mixed with the resident herd.
Equipment and instruments that have direct animal contact should be cleaned and disinfected (or sterilised) after use. Before leaving the farm, dirty equipment and footwear must be cleaned, washed, and disinfected with an appropriate disinfectant. Moderate-risk visitors, such as salesmen, feed and fuel delivery personnel, and mechanics, should wear clean coveralls and boots, clean and disinfect any sampling equipment, and clean and disinfect dirty boots before re-entering the vehicle.
The United States is currently focused on keeping swine and avian influenza, as well as FMD, out of its animal population. By adhering to these biosecurity measures, farmers can help safeguard their livestock and contribute to the overall health of the nation's livestock industry.
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