Developing a Biosecurity Plan
While there are many ways to prevent and control cattle disease, management is increasingly recognized as a key factor. Biosecurity is one management strategy that producers can view as insurance from disease. Implementing biosecurity practices on a dairy can increase profitability by reducing clinical disease and improving production efficiency. One of the steps when developing a biosecurity plan is to identify the risk factors that affect how diseases are introduced or spread.
Diseases can move from one dairy to another (between-herd transmission) or spread within a single dairy (within-herd transmission). Both within-herd and between-herd transmission needs to be considered for a control program to work. Evaluating how pathogens are introduced to the dairy differs for each disease. Some of the risk factors to consider include:
Key Between-Herd Risk Factors
1. Bringing new cattle to a herd.
2. Failure to quarantine cattle.
3. Failure to determine disease status before introducing cattle.
4. Cattle returning from exhibitions and shows.
5. Allowing other animals contact with cows, feeds, or water
6. Allowing spread through people, vehicles, or equipment.
Key Within-Herd Risk Factors
1. Using calving area for sick cows.
2. Not separating sick from healthy cows.
3. Using manure-handling equipment to mix feed or feed cows.
4. Manure-contaminated drinking water.
5. Feeding contaminated feeds.
6. Feeding waste milk to calves.
7. Animal contact with cows, feed, or water.
8. Failure to vaccinate.
9. Allowing spread via people, vehicles, or equipment.
10. Improper and/or lack of teat disinfectant use, dry cow treatment, and/or udder hygiene practices.
Source: “Biosecurity on Dairies”, published bythe Bovine Alliance on Management and the National Mastitis Council 2009..
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