Arkansas Farm Biosecurity Plan Biosecurity on the Farm and Assessment of Your Farm

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Farm and Home Biosecurity
Livestock/Row Crop Producer
Arkansas Farm Biosecurity Plan - Biosecurity on the Farm and Assessment of Your Farm

Biosecurity on the Farm

Biosecurity management practices are designed to reduce/prevent the spread and movement of infectious diseases onto the operation. Infectious diseases introduced onto an operation can have a devastating effect on cash flow and equity. The goal of a biosecurity plan is to minimize the movement of biologic organisms and their vectors (dogs, cats, rodents, biting flies, birds, etc.) onto and within your operation. Biosecurity can be very difficult to maintain because the interrelationship between management, biologic organism and biosecurity is very complex. While developing and implementing biosecurity is difficult, it is the cheapest, most effective means of disease control available, and no disease prevention program will work without it.

Infectious diseases can be spread between operations by:

The introduction of diseased livestock or apparently healthy livestock incubating disease
Introduction of healthy livestock who have recovered from disease but are now carriers
Vehicles, equipment, clothing and shoes of visitors or employees who move between herds
Contact with inanimate objects that are contaminated with disease organisms
Carcasses of dead animals that have not been disposed of properly
Feedstuffs, especially high risk feedstuff which could be contaminated with feces
Impure water (surface drainage water, etc.)
Manure handling and aerosolized manure and dust
Exposure to horses, dogs, cats, wildlife, rodents, birds and insects

Biosecurity Assessment of Your Farm

Question	Yes	No	NA
1. Do you know what animal diseases should be in your biosecurity plan?
2. Do you know what plant diseases should be in your biosecurity plan?
3. Do you always isolate sick animals?
4. Do you always isolate new animals for 3 weeks before introducing them to the herd?
5. Do you separate livestock by age and/or production groups?
6. Do you limit visitor’s access to barns and lots?
7. Do you have a sign posted to warn visitors?
8. Do you demand that visitors wear clean boots and coveralls?
9. Do you provide disposable boots and coveralls for visitors?
10. Do you have sale animals picked up without dealers or transports entering barns?
11. Do you keep a visitor’s log?
12. Do you disinfect your stock trailer?
13. Do you loan your truck, stock trailer, etc., to other producers?
14. Do you have a dead animal burial location on the farm?
15. Do you travel from the dead animal burial location to the farm without cleaning and disinfecting?
16. Do you avoid using common syringes and needles for vaccinations?
17. Do you follow Quality Assurance Guidelines?
18. Do you work healthy animals before working any sick animals?
19. Do you attempt to control rodents?
20. Do you attempt to control external parasites on livestock?
21. Do you have deer proof fences?
22. Do you conduct a postmortem exam on every animal that dies unexpectedly?
23. Do you watch for blistering around an animal’s mouth, nose, teats or hooves?
24. Do you control ticks on livestock?
25. Do you monitor feed and water intake?
26. Do low-risk visitors avoid the livestock areas?
27. Do you provide a parking area for visitors?
28. Is the parking area paved or concrete?
29. Do you wash your hands with soap and water or antibacterial gel before entering and after leaving premises?
30. Do you require visitors to wash their hands with soap and water or antibacterial gel before entering and after leaving premises?
31. Do you prescreen newly purchased animals for diseases?
32. Do you vaccinate livestock prior to additional stress (weaning, shipping, etc.)?
33. Do you physically inspect all new animals?
34. Do you minimize livestock contact between different age groups?
35. Do you isolate any returning animals for 3 weeks before introducing them to the herd?
36. Do you minimize fence-line contact between animals?
37. Do you use disposable needles, syringes, etc.?
38. Do you disinfect all reusable animal health equipment?
39. Do you read and follow animal health labels?
40. Do you read and follow pesticide labels?
41. Do you report to the county sheriff any vandalism detected on the farm?
42. Do you purchase farm chemicals in the amounts that you need at the time?
43. Do you keep an up-to-date inventory of all your farm chemicals?
44. Do you keep chemical storage facilities locked?
45. Do you keep equipment (pesticide application equipment, etc.) locked up?
46. Do you keep keys in tractors, pick-ups, etc?
47. Do you monitor your tanks (fuel and bulk tanks) for siphoning or stealing?
48. Do you keep feed and tack room facilities locked?
49. Do you report suspicious visitors to the county sheriff?
50. Do you have a Farm Biosecurity Plan?
51. Do you provide one area designed for visitor entry?
52. Do you determine if visitors have been on another farm before visiting your facility?
53. Do you provide footbaths or a disinfectant container at the entrance to each animal housing area?
54. Do you discourage visitors from having direct animal, feed or water contact?
55. Do you allow anybody who has arrived in the US within the last 7 days on your farm?
56. Do you have a separate parking area for "on-farm" vehicles and "off-farm" vehicles?
57. Do you allow off-farm vehicles (4-wheelers, etc.) to drive through your animal housing units or farm?
58. Do you clean and disinfect any equipment (hoof trimming tables, etc.) before it enters your farm?
59. Do you work with your veterinarian on a biosecurity plan for your farm?
NA – Not Applicable

Back To Arkansas Farm Biosecurity Plan

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Farm and Home Biosecurity Livestock/Row Crop Producer Arkansas Farm Biosecurity Plan - Biosecurity on the Farm and Assessment of Your Farm

Farm and Home Biosecurity
Livestock/Row Crop Producer
Arkansas Farm Biosecurity Plan - Biosecurity on the Farm and Assessment of Your Farm