Biosecurity Planning
Montana Livestock Industry Biosecurity Project
Introduction
This USDA/APHIS funded project is a vehicle to manage biosecurity risks to Montana’s agricultural economy associated with the husbandry of livestock and the production of livestock products. This project: Embraces both education and demonstration concepts of community–based biosecurity information delivery. It provides livestock operators and wildlife managers resources to reduce and/or eliminate the introduction and spread of unwanted disease organisms or animal disease complexes.
- Includes a physical instrument for the voluntary assessment of animal disease risk, herd–by–herd or at the community level. Individual livestock producers can use the Montana Herd Biosecurity Manual to draft, implement and document biosecurity management plans based on assessed risk of livestock disease transmission.
- Recognizes the need for statewide animal disease response planning to protect livestock and wildlife from accidental or intentional introduction of catastrophic foreign animal diseases.
- Builds on the three–year success of the voluntary Montana BVD–PI Herd Biosecurity Project. Nearly 550 Montana beef producers representing approximately 190,000 head of cattle have developed herd biosecurity plans to reduce transmission of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus into and within their herds since Jan 2006.
- The Montana Livestock Industry Biosecurity Project will be managed and implemented under the Montana State University Beef Quality Assurance program and the Montana Stockgrowers Association with input from USDA, APHIS and oversight from the Montana State Veterinarian. With continued funding this project will be implemented in three phases as outlined in the addendum section of this document continuing through federal FY 2013.
This project has two major components:
- Community–based biosecurity education
- Development of livestock biosecurity plans
Community–based biosecurity education
The Montana BQA director will develop and initiate livestock biosecurity educational and demonstration programs building on existing relationships between regional federal animal health officials and state and local agencies, practicing veterinarians, agri–businesses, livestock industry organizations and university Extension and research personnel.
Montana BQA programming specifically addresses biosecurity and health emergency plans for individual livestock operators. It also helps connect services and resources for implementation of community–based biosecurity programming, recognizing that livestock biosecurity transcends property boundaries and includes protection of wildlife species.
Community–based biosecurity education provides:
- Leadership and educational programs that demonstrate innovative biosecurity and biocontainment practices for ranches and feedlots that will reduce the incidence of common livestock diseases.
- Leadership and educational programs to prevent the introduction and/or spread of other zoonotic/non–zoonotic diseases, catastrophic foreign animal diseases or emerging animal diseases.
Development of livestock biosecurity plans
Montana livestock operators will be encouraged to develop and implement individual premises–based livestock biosecurity plans. The concept of livestock biosecurity will be considered a constituent of Montana’s efforts to protect the state’s livestock herds while recognizing the importance of wildlife species protection.
- The Montana Herd Biosecurity Manual will be a formal "living" instrument for managing the threat from diseases of concern identified by individual producers.
- Herd biosecurity plans will be prioritized based on risk/vulnerability assessments for diseases of concern, and the operator’s individual management goals.
- The herd biosecurity plans will be drafted by the livestock producer in consultation with an attending veterinarian and/or biosecurity resource team.
- The biosecurity plan while allow for year–to–year flexibility and variations in disease risk and on–going strategic disease management practices.
- The biosecurity plans will document on–going herd biosecurity and management practices for individually identified livestock or herd–group plans based registered livestock premises.
Montana Livestock Biosecurity Manual:
- Memorandum of Understanding
- Signatures of biosecurity resource team:
- Livestock manager / landowner
- Local veterinarian / Deputy state veterinarian
- BQA coordinator / Extension agent
- FWP area biologist
- Premises data
- Audit procedure
- Misc. facts sheets / information / resources
- Addendums
- Modifications
- Signatures of biosecurity resource team:
- Assessment of Biosecurity Risk & Response Plan
- Risk / vulnerability assessment:
- Non–zoonotic diseases
- Zoonotic diseases
- Exotic or foreign animal diseases
- Disease response plans:
- Action trigger
- Action response level
- Action or emergency response plan/procedures
- Communication plan
- Risk / vulnerability assessment:
- Annual Herd Health Management Plan
- Livestock inventory (on–going)
- Other on–premises animal inventory
- Source of replacement animals
- Grazing systems / rotations
- Identification / traceability system
- Disease monitoring / surveillance programs
- Immunization strategy
- Physical equipment / fencing strategies
- Employee training plan
- Biosecurity Management Records
- Breeding/reproduction
- Vaccinations/health treatments
- Livestock & wildlife interaction
- Disease surveillance/testing
- On–premises livestock movement
- Perimeter herd interactions
- New herd additions/quarantine
- Dead animal disposal
- Facilities & equipment sanitation
- Off–premises transportation
- Human ingress/egress
- Feeds, supplements & additives
- Marketing / performance
- Narratives, notes and misc.
Implementation Strategy:
- Phase 1 — Pilot Level – May 2008–Aug 2008
- May–July 2008
- Identification of strategic producers / situations for Phase I
- Ranch visits to key locations / leaders
- Implementation of 6–8 "pilot" livestock biosecurity plans
- July–August 2008
- Maintenance of pilot plans
- Community–based "tabletop" exercises (2–3 locations)
- May–July 2008
- Phase 2 — Demonstration Level — Sept 2008–July 2009
- Sept 2008–April 2009
- Evaluation of "pilot phase" livestock biosecurity plans
- Public / producer programs (8–12 locations)
- Modify biosecurity instruments based on evaluations
- Implementation of 25–50 "demonstration" livestock biosecurity plans
- Community–based "tabletop" exercises (4–6 locations)
- Maintenance of demonstration plans
- May–June 2009
- Tours and media awareness
- Identification of strategic producers / communities for Phase 3
- Sept 2008–April 2009
- Phase 3 — July 2009–June 2013 (projected)
- July 2009–Sept 2013
- Public / producer programs (8–12 locations/year)
- Evaluation of "demonstration phase" livestock biosecurity plans
- Modification of biosecurity instruments based on annual evaluations
- Annual identification of strategic producers / situations
- Implementation of 25–50 new livestock biosecurity plans annually
- Maintenance of biosecurity plans
- Continuing tours and media awareness
- Community–based "tabletop" exercises (4–6 locations per year)
- July 2009–Sept 2013
Project Evaluation:
Annual evaluations of this project will be conducted via direct mail surveys to livestock operators who develop herd biosecurity plans along with federal agency collaborators, members of biosecurity teams, local veterinarians, Extension agents and local and state wildlife managers.
When and where possible on–premises health treatment data will be extracted from herd biosecurity plans and compared to "pre–project" treatment and performance records. Also, animals from selected herds will be tracked through the off–premises feeding and finishing process to obtain group or individual health treatment and animal performance data.
Education/outreach programs will be evaluated by:
- Public program and tabletop exercises attendance
- Producer contacts — telephone, e–mail, face–face
- Amount of media coverage
Specifically: (reported quarterly to National Center for Animal Health Programs and Policy, Veterinary Services)
- Number of pilot livestock biosecurity plans implemented.
- Number of tabletop exercises held.
- Number of strategic producers identified.
- Number of strategic producers that have implemented biosecurity plans.
- Summary of herd health improvements.
Expected Project Outcomes
Montana’s cattle industry consists mainly of cow/calf producers and seedstock operations. Montana is approximately the tenth largest cow/calf producing state in the nation. Operations are both large and small with ranches with 100–499 head providing 40% of the Montana cattle inventory and operations with more than 500 head having 50% of the state’s cattle inventory. With very few commercial feedlots and only a small meat packing industry, the majority of Montana’s 1.5 million weaned calves are shipped out of state for finishing and harvesting.
Outcomes include increased premises–based formal ranch and feedlot biosecurity planning targeting livestock producers in communities most risk to animal disease outbreaks and present the most risk to the economic security of the Montana livestock industry. The project will help improve the overall reputation of Montana feeder cattle and protect the seedstock industry by reducing the threat and incidence of livestock diseases.
And:
- Provide leadership and educational programs that demonstrate innovative biosecurity and biocontainment practices for ranches and feedlots that reduce the overall incidence of common livestock diseases.
- Provide leadership and educational programs to prevent the introduction and/or spread of catastrophic zoonotic and non–zoonotic diseases, foreign and emerging animal diseases within Montana communities.
- Continually assess the risks, vulnerabilites and possibilities agroterrorism events. Create an awareness among the industry of the appropriate measures needed to protect livestock premises from agroterrorist threats.
In the initial phases, key livestock producers in strategic locations would be identified and encouraged to develop biosecurity plans as outlined in Addendum "A" above. Then selected leaders would act as local ambassadors to demonstrate the significance and value of the biosecurity planning process and resulting plans. The leaders would help host "table top" exercises to discuss biosecurity risk, disease vulnerabilities and prevention and response plans based on agreed–upon local concerns.
As the project matures, it’s expected that the concept of livestock biosecurity will become an accepted and normal constituent of herd health planning and management for livestock operators. It’s further expected that veterinarians, agency personnel, agricultural educators and lenders, livestock organizations and others that in any way influence livestock production practices would integrate biosecurity will recognize the effectiveness of overall livestock biosecurity and promote livestock biosecurity as a normal part of their work.
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