Biosecurity hazards on beef operations are sometimes overlooked, however, the risk of introducing disease onto your farm is real and more common than you may think.
Routine practices such as shared fence lines, buying in replacement breeding heifers or bulls, borrowing stock trailers or outsourcing farm work can bring unwanted diseases onto your farm. Even producers who consider their herds to be “closed” may be surprised to learn there is no such thing as a truly closed herd if operations host farm visitors or there are wildlife-livestock interactions.
Producers have a lot to gain by managing biosecurity risks to help reduce disease, minimize production losses, decrease the cost of treatment, and reduce death loss, all factors that are critical to profitability and animal welfare. Proper biosecurity can also minimize antibiotic overuse and ensure public trust through food safety.
Think you have a closed herd?
Click the image for an interactive graphic illustrating some of the ways a beef cattle herd becomes open to disease.
Think you have a closed herd? Biosecurity risks on livestock operations
Biosecurity in Action on Canadian Farms
Fortunately, many commonsense practices already being implemented on farms across Canada align with biosecurity as part of everyday risk management. Establishing and maintaining a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) with a veterinarian is a key component of biosecurity.
Incorporating on-farm biosecurity principles that mitigate the impact of common health risks like bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) and calf scours, also work against serious foreign animal disease outbreaks such as foot and mouth disease.
Some pathogens that affect cattle are zoonotic, meaning they can cause disease in both humans and animals. This is why proper personal protective equipment is important when working with animals and why a team-based approach such as a One Health Strategy can be effective.
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