Biosecurity Basics for the Beef Industry
Biosecurity, biocontainment, biological risk management. To the beef producer, they all mean essentially the same thing — addressing the potential of a disease organism or disease complex entering or spreading within a beef cattle operation.
We know disease transmission cannot be completely avoided or eliminated — but some basic management principles can be employed to effectively keep a ranching or feeding operation as secure as possible from unwanted biological invasion.
Biosecurity & Disease Control
Biosecurity management on a cattle operation can be the cheapest and most effective means of disease control. It stands to reason that attention to some basic commonsense biosecurity measures can reduce treatments costs, treatment "events" — and help improve the overall health, performance and welfare of animals in a herd.
Additionally, it should be assumed that as we reduce treatment events, the less chance there is for carcass defects due to injections, handling and stress.
In the 1996–97 Texas A&M Ranch to Rail program fed steers that got sick not only incurred an average of $23.36 more expense in medicine costs, but there was $94.06 in "lost value" due to reduced efficiency, lowered gain and reduced sale value.
Dr. Gary Smith, meat scientist from Colorado State University, sums up the relationship
between animal health and beef quality: "Each time an animal is treated for sickness in a
feedyard, there’s a risk of losing a quality grade and a tenderness score."
In addition, the practice of holding back slower growing but otherwise normal appearing animals must be revisited. Rather than continual mixing and sorting of groups, "all–in, all–out" group management, is a biosecurity practice that reduces the potential for disease transmission.
Biosecurity Practices for a Ranch or Feedlot
- Vaccinate the herd against all endemic diseases.
- Screen animals for suspected disease problems.
- Isolate all sick animals into a designated hospital pen.
- Work younger or healthier animals first; then work older higher risk animals.
- Practice "all–in, all–out" animal movement in pens and pastures.
- Know the health history of incoming animals.
- Purchase feed from reputable sources.
- Keep records of all disease occurrences and treatments.
- Control access to your operation & post biosecurity procedures.
- Place animal receiving and load–out facilities at the perimeter of the operation.
- Clean boots and change clothing between animal groups with different health status.
- Have your vet necropsy animals that die from unknown causes.
- Quarantine all newly acquired animals or reintroduced animals.
- Euthanize chronically sick animals & promptly dispose of dead animals.
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Montana Beef Quality Assurance,
821 N. 27th St., PMB 159,
Billings, MT 59101,
406-896-9068(o), 406-671-0851(m)
cpeck@montana.edu
Montana Beef Network,
119 Linfield Hall
Bozeman, MT 59717,
406-994-4323,
mharbac@montana.edu