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Canadian
Food Inspection Agency
Notice to Livestock Operations
(November 2001)
Suggestions
for Improving Farm Biosecurity
The Canadian
Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has prepared the following suggestions
on improving farm biosecurity to help you protect your herd
against infectious diseases.
Proper
use of disinfectants
Methods for destroying disease-causing agents include steam
cleaning, fumigation, and chemical disinfectants. Some products
will kill bacteria, but not viruses, and most will not kill
spores. Soil and organic matter rapidly inactivate most
disinfectants, so it is important to first thoroughly clean
the objects with warm water and detergent. Then apply
the appropriate disinfectant. Footbaths are important, but
only work properly if boots are washed before using the footbath,
and by keeping the disinfectant properly replenished. Your
veterinarian or provincial extension agent can advise you
as to which disinfectant is most suitable for your application.
Minimizing
the risk of introducing disease
Bringing new animals onto the farm poses the risk of spreading
disease.
- Consider
vaccinating your herd, including new animals, against the
common diseases in your area. Your veterinarian can advise
you as to the best choice of vaccines to use.
- Quarantine
new arrivals for at least 2 weeks. Confine the animal to
a separate pen that does not allow nose to nose contact
with other animals, and does not share feed and water supplies.
- Buyer
beware! Purchase from herds with a known clean health status.
- Livestock
feed obtained off-farm should be from known, reputable sources.
Farm
Visitors
Accepting visitors from countries with serious animal diseases
requires special precautions. They must not be allowed contact
with susceptible species on your farm unless a thorough cleaning
and disinfection process has been followed, and there has
been a gap between their visit and any previous contact with
susceptible species in their country.
Low
risk visitors
Visitors coming from urban areas, who have no other contact
with livestock, pose very little risk of spreading disease
to your livestock.
- Ask
visitors to arrive on the farm with clean clothing and footwear.
Dirty boots must be cleaned and disinfected before proceeding,
or provide your own clean boots or disposable footwear.
- Accompany
visitors and ask them not to enter pens, or contact the
animals. When visitors leave, ask them to wash soiled boots
and hands with water and detergent.
Moderate
risk visitors
People that travel from farm to farm, but have no direct contact
with livestock pose a moderate risk for disease transmission.
These would include salesmen, feed distributors, farm equipment
mechanics, and various types of inspectors. Take the same
precautions as above with additional requirements:
- Clean
coveralls should be worn if there is any contact with feed,
water, soil samples, manure or farm equipment.
- Sampling
equipment should be cleaned after each use.
- When
leaving the farm, dirty boots must be cleaned and disinfected,
and soiled coveralls should be removed before entering the
vehicle.
High
risk visitors
These are visitors that travel from farm to farm and have
direct contact with livestock.
These
would include veterinarians, inseminators, processing crews,
livestock haulers and neighbours. Take the same precautions
as above with additional recommendations:
- Visitors
should arrive with clean outerwear, boots and equipment.
Vehicles and livestock trailers should be clean prior to
arrival on the farm.
- Livestock
instruments and equipment should be clean and sterile before
use. (BUT do not use chemical disinfectants on syringes
or needles used to deliver live vaccines!) Use disposable
needles and syringes wherever possible.
- Wear
disposable plastic sleeves and gloves whenever there is
direct contact with body fluids, tissues, or excrement.
- Before
leaving the farm, soiled equipment and footwear must be
cleaned and disinfected.
- Wash
hands with detergent. Remove dirty coveralls before entering
vehicles.
- Protect
the health of your and your neighbours' herds by asking
them to respect your protocols.
To summarize,
you are in the best position to safeguard your herd and your
pocketbook from infections by following basic principles of
disease control and prevention:
- maintain
a closed herd/flock
- purchase
from known healthy sources
- isolate
purchases
- restrict
visitors
- practice
good biosecurity. Insist on clean footwear, clothing, and
equipment
- identify
all animals
- keep
accurate records.
Together
we can work to safeguard the health of Canada's livestock
and poultry sectors. For further information on developing
your biosecurity plan, contact your own veterinarian, your
nearest CFIA veterinarian, or your provincial extension specialist.
For further
information on Protecting the Security of Food Supply, visit
the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website at:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/ops/secur/livbete.shtml
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