Biosecurity: This has become a serious matter and is necessary to have a particular protocol to set up a plan to create the safest environment as is possible by controlling what you can.
What is Biosecurity: Biosecurity can be defined as precautions taken to minimize the risk of introduction of an infectious disease into an animal population. It can also pertain to any of the policies and measures taken for protecting the nation’s food supply and agricultural resources.
Biosecurity is important for any size operation because disease organisms negatively affect both small and large producers.
The ultimate goal of an effective biosecurity plan is the prevention of disease organisms from gaining entry to the farm, harming herd health and the negative impact to the producers’ bottom line. https://porkgateway.org/resource/how-to-develop-a-biosecurity-plan/
I found this website to be a wealth of knowledge, taking a lot of areas into consideration when developing a proper plan.
Working in the agricultural sector for years, and being a farm girl originally, there are many things to look at when discussing biosecurity - everyone involved needs to do their part and be on top of things.
Tips for Building Your Plan:
- Remember planning is a process. Start where you are now.
- Implement a few important things first; add more later.
- Determine what will or will not fit the daily routine.
- Plan ahead with protocols that everyone on the farm and visitors will need to follow (to prevent and outbreak or) if an outbreak occurs.
- Include a process for observing and monitoring herd health, and for reporting unusual or suspicious signs.
- Be sure to communicate to employees and visitors about your biosecurity protocols, and how they can comply.
Taken from https://www.healthyagriculture.org/prevent/biosecurity-plan/
Questions to Ponder:
If you already have Biosecurity Plans in place – are they working for you?
Do you need to review to see if any changes need to be taken into consideration?
If you do not have a current plan in place – do you need to look at creating one?
What measures need to be considered?
