Biosecurity Basics for the Beef Industry
Attention to Zoonotics
Central to many arguments supporting concerted biosecurity efforts on the ranch or farm is that many diseases affecting beef cattle are zoonotic — that is they pose, or suspected to pose, a risk to human health. Brucellosis, BSE, E. Coli O157:H7, and tuberculosis are examples of zoonotic diseases.
Biosecurity isn’t a new concept to ranchers who have worked for decades to eliminate brucellosis. Today though, nearly every state animal health authority has issued recommendations and guidelines for increased agricultural biosecurity at the local level.
Cattle producers across the country are beginning to work
with their veterinarians in developing programs designed to
increase biosecurity at the production level. These efforts
include prevention of both zoonotic and non–zoonotic
diseases and improved overall vet–medical care.
Improving an animal’s disease resistance is at the heart of disease prevention and herd health programs and must be considered in the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and good management practices (GMPs) of all livestock production management.
But, Dee Griffin, DVM, MS, University of Nebraska, says improving disease resistance is not possible or can be over powered for many of the diseases that can affect livestock health and production. Therefore, Griffin says, an understanding of biosecurity basics, in addition to a properly designed disease resistance health program, is essential.
He lists six major components of a ranch biosecurity plan:
- Assessment
- Resistance
- Isolation
- Traffic Control
- Sanitation
- ID & Record Keeping
Assessment of the potential for disease organisms to enter a livestock herd should include a general evaluation for contamination of livestock from other/outside livestock, wild animals, contaminated feedstuffs, equipment, etc.
Resistance to disease can be must be supported by proper nutrition, minimizing stress (handling, environmental, etc). Specific resistance using properly selected and appropriately used vaccines is essential.
Isolation can be the most important first step in disease control. An important biosecurity action on ranches is to separate cattle by age and/or production groups. Visit with your veterinarian about specific isolation management procedures and how they can be applied to control targeted diseases.
Traffic control includes traffic onto your operation and traffic patterns within your operation. It is important to understand that traffic includes more than vehicles — such as placing cattle loading facilities on the perimeter of the operation.
Sanitation means disinfecting materials, people and equipment entering the operation and the cleanliness of the people and equipment on the operation. The first objective of sanitation is to prevent fecal–oral cross contamination.
Animal identification and record keeping is critical to biosecurity programs. This requires a basic recording system that consistently documents animal health treatment, nutrition programs and animal movement data.
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Montana Beef Quality Assurance,
2116 Broadwater Ave., Suite 307/11
Billings, MT 59102,
406-896-9068,
cpeck@montana.edu
Montana Beef Network,
119 Linfield Hall
Bozeman, MT 59718,
406-994-4323,
mharbac@montana.edu