Biosecurity Dr. Pepi Leids NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets Division of Animal Industry Modified by the GA Agriculture Education Curriculum Office July 2002
Why Should You Care? • Infectious diseases cost dairy producers production and profit • We are seeing increases in antibiotic resistance, making diseases harder to treat effectively • We are in the FOOD business
Why Should You Care? • Many clinical diseases represent the tip of the iceberg • Johne’s: 1 clinical = 15 - 25 subclinically infected • $228/lactating cow • BVD: 1 infected = persistently infected calves for years • $475/lactating cow
Why Biosecurity? • Preventive approach to herd health • Reduce the herd’s risk for contracting or spreading a disease • Often requires only management changes, not capital investment
What is Biosecurity? A collection of management practices which protect a herd from the entry of new diseases and minimizes the spread and/or adverse effects of disease within a herd.
The Animal Health Triad
Disease Immunity and Challenge Subclinical Disease, Poor Production, Reduced Efficiency Disease Immunity (Immunity x Environment) Challenge (Disease Agent x Environment)
Putting Biosecurity to Work • Minimize exposure to disease agents • Develop immunity • Manage environment to support above points
Reducing Exposure to Disease • Consider the paths for disease entry or spread • Cattle • purchased animals, heifers returning from grower, show animals • Manure • Pests, pets, wildlife • Feed • Water • Take steps to minimize your risk
Cattle • Single source you can inspect • Known health history • Primary & secondary vaccine weeks before move • Test as appropriate • BVD-PI, Johne’s, contagious mastitis, heel warts, salmonella • Protect the home herd
Transport • Insist on clean transport • washed between uses • 60% of trucks contaminated with salmonella • Don’t group animals from other farms • Trained, conscientious haulers • Minimize stress
Minimize Animal Contact • Pets • cats, dogs, chickens, geese • Pests • rodents, birds, wildlife
Manure Management • Avoid mixing with feed • Consider flows • near feed storage • near youngstock • Watch for carriers • equipment • people • spreading
Feedstuffs - Mill to Farm • Rodent and bird control in feedmills • vectors for many bacterial diseases • Cleanliness of delivery trucks • alternatives to delivery at the barn • Drivers enter facilities only when necessary
Keep Feed Clean • Rodent and bird control in storage • Don’t use manure equipment in feed handling • Preach caution in pushing up feed • Be alert for areas where manure could mix with feed
Don’t Tolerate Fomites • Every visitor should clean & sanitize: • clothes • boots • hands • equipment • Discourage visitors from: • entering facilities unnecessarily • parking near or working with youngstock • moving between different groups unnecessarily • Consider the order of work routines
Manage the Environment • Increase cow comfort through: • Good stall design • assess utilization, lunging, & resting posture • Proper ventilation • Proper footing • Grouping cattle to decrease disruption
Maternity pen is the highest priority area clean and dry single use not a hospital pen separate from cows motel 6 Calving Area Management
Neonatal Management • Test for BVD-PI status before colostrum • Colostrum • 4 quarts ASAP • from calf’s own dam or Johne’s free cow • NO pooled colostrum • Dip navel • Remove calf ASAP
Environment • Nutrition • balanced for growth or production • analyze & supplement • Vit. A & E, Cu, Se, Zn • avoid molds & mycotoxins • suppress immunity • pay attention to forage moisture levels and particle length • can alter rumen and intestinal pH, making harmful bugs more viable
Immunity • Consult with your own & customers’ vets • Establish vaccination program which addresses diseases from all your customers • Keep records of vaccinations
Role of vaccines & colostrum protects calf from diseases transferred across placenta provides important passive immunity for the calf should take into account any bugs that heifers might encounter on your farm Cow & Calf Immunity
Summary • Avoid the entry or spread of pathogens • cattle, manure, feed, water, equipment, people • Manage the environment to: • reduce spread of disease • optimize immunity • Maximize immunity • optimal passive transfer: fetal & colostral • sound vaccination program rigorously adhered to
