Biosecurity: Keeping Animals Healthy On Canadian Farms

By Magpie Group

The role of biosecurity

These days individual farms are far less isolated than they were in the past. Globalization has allowed farmers to bring in the resources they need to care for their animals from further away, often from other countries. Growing urbanization has resulted in more human and animal movement between farms than ever before.

All these factors create the opportunity for diseases to spread among livestock.

Biosecurity refers to procedures that prevent the introduction of diseases and reduce the frequency and severity of infection when they occur. Biosecurity, like traceability, is just one of several important strategies farmers use to protect animal welfare and produce safe, healthy food for consumers.

DYK? Although invisible to the naked eye, a single particle of dust can contain enough cells to cause disease.

Disease can hide just about anywhere. For example, disease can be spread:

By pets, insects, wild birds and wildlife
On clothing, hair and shoes of visitors and employees
In contaminated feed, water, bedding and soil
By contaminated vehicles and farm equipment
By diseased animals or carcasses of dead animals
In airborne particles

The impact of infectious diseases can be devastating

Not only do diseases result in animal pain, suffering and even death, they also have significant costs and result in revenue losses for farmers, not to mention the emotional toll on the farmers who care for their animals day in and day out. Some livestock diseases (called zoonotic diseases) can be transferred to and infect humans (such as the bacteria Salmonella) or can spread to other species. Disease often means animals need to be treated with medications like antibiotics to prevent suffering. A disease outbreak can also mean the loss of export markets.

Good biosecurity measures act as a safeguard and have many benefits, including:

Reducing the spread of animal diseases
Protecting public health by decreasing the transmission of zoonotic diseases to humans
Enhancing animal health and animal welfare by keeping animals healthy
Lowering costs associated with treating these diseases
Improving the overall health of individual animals which in turn improves the health of the national herd or flock
And more!

Creating a biosecurity plan

Livestock farmers – as well as many crop farmers – have biosecurity plans.

Farm biosecurity plans identify and assess risks for spread of disease and include action plans to decrease those risks. Farmer organizations, researchers, veterinarians and provincial/territorial governments work with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to develop biosecurity standards and guidelines. The level of biosecurity and the scope of what’s involved depends on the species of livestock, the type of diseases those animals are susceptible to, and the risk level that those diseases pose to the animals’ health. Poultry and pig farms often have high levels of biosecurity.

Here are some biosecurity protocols many farmers use:

New animals to the farm are quarantined. Biosecurity plans usually involve testing incoming animals, separating out newly purchased animals and using a monitoring system that detects infections.

Visitors are asked to stay out of barns or off farms. Plans will address, if, how and where visitors (including veterinarians, inspectors and suppliers) are allowed access. On some high biosecurity farms, even employees must change their clothing and shower before they enter and after they leave! If visitors are allowed, then they too are required to shower in and shower out.

Farmers prioritize animal health practices. Along with developing a herd or flock health plan, farmers often establish a working relationship with a veterinarian. These plans include regular maintenance and cleaning, and ensuring water, feed, medications and other inputs are from safe and reliable sources.

So when you see “Keep Out” on a farm yard gate or barn, it’s nothing personal and they’ve got nothing to hide. This is just an effort to protect animals from contracting diseases, which can spread to other animals and result in a disaster in terms of animal deaths and a farmer’s bottom line. And, ultimately, it’s protecting you – the consumer – too!

Farmers work hard to provide for their families, care for the animals they raise and grow food safely and efficiently. The decisions they make daily influence their ability to produce nutritious and high-quality food in a sustainable, responsible way that ensures future generations can continue to farm. Canadian agriculture has created sustainability and farm stewardships initiatives to guide production and management practices in almost every sector.