Biosecurity means the everyday habits that stop disease getting onto your farm and spreading once it is there. It does not need expensive equipment. These ten steps work for cattle, small ruminants, pigs and poultry.
Keep disease out
- Fence the farm and use one main entrance, so you control who and what comes in.
- Buy animals only from known, healthy sources, with vaccination and health records.
- Keep new or returning animals apart for about 30 days, watch them and test them before they mix with the herd.
- Limit visitors. Ask them to wash hands and use a footbath or clean boots, especially around poultry.
- Clean and disinfect vehicles, crates and equipment, and avoid borrowing equipment from other farms.
Stop it spreading
- Control rats, wild birds, stray dogs and other animals that carry disease.
- Store feed dry and covered, and give clean water every day.
- Separate sick animals at once, call a vet, and never sell or slaughter sick animals for food.
- Dispose of dead animals, afterbirths and aborted material safely by deep burial or burning.
- Vaccinate and deworm on schedule, and record every treatment.
Extra steps for poultry
- Raise birds in 'all in, all out' batches of the same age.
- Clean, disinfect and rest houses for at least two weeks between flocks.
- Keep wild birds and other poultry away from your flock and its feed.
A vet can walk your farm with you and list the biggest risks in an hour. Rayiea's herd-health programmes include a written biosecurity plan.
This guide is general information. It is not a substitute for advice from a vet who has examined your animals.