Dairy Event 2010: Think big to take on biosecurity challenge

Farmers should realise that biosecurity is a concept and not a word if they are to make progress in tackling infectious diseases.

Speaking at a Farm Health Planning seminar at the Dairy Event and Livestock Show chief vet for Wales Christianne Glossop said the essence of biosecurity was based in the “prevention is better than cure” principle.

“For too long biosecurity has been misunderstood. It is not about a bucket of disinfectant at the end of the farm drive or about reaching for the panic button when foot-and-mouth is in the UK.

“It is about taking a whole-farm approach to limiting the chances of disease entering your herd or flock through a full variety of measures. But most importantly is about recognising the risks associated with your farm and how you run your business. You have to be aware of which parts of your business practice represent a risk to your animals’ health.

“However, there is no such thing as perfect biosecurity. Every farm has some risks, be that from bought in stock, neighbouring animals or contractors or other farm visitors,” she told event visitors.

“Cattle and other stock do not live in perfect isolation, what you have to do is prioritise the risks to your herd and assess which are top of your risk list. Assess your herd size, location, site security, contiguous herds and stock replacement policy.

“When it comes to buying in stock you should look at whether you buy from single or multiple sources, how frequently you buy, the health status of the source herd and, crucially, what your intake protocol is. Do you have a rigorous quarantine procedure for bought in stock, what vaccination strategy do you have in place and how do you handle new stock?”

Dr Glossop who, alongside Welsh rural affairs minsiter Elin Jones, won the 2009 Farmers Weekly Farming Champion Award, added: “However, there is no one-size-fits-all biosecurity policy which can be applied to all farms, you have to look at your own farm situation and make a plan which works for you, then you will be able to manage your disease risks and tackle them in order.”

• For more from the Dairy Event and Livestock Show click here.

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