Outbreaks of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in dairy herds have brought revelations that livestock producers may have holes in their biosecurity measures.
Fortunately, over the past decade or so, widespread disease outbreaks in livestock have been rare. Hot-spot outbreaks, such as Johne’s disease or tuberculosis in individual dairy herds, have occurred and have been quickly identified and controlled. That’s a good sign for the industry, although individual producers and herds are significantly impacted.
“For the most part, a widespread disease outbreak has not been at the top of mind for producers because it hasn’t occurred,” said Linda Tikofsky, senior associate director of cattle professional services at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. “But now, with the presence of avian influenza, it’s making all livestock producers consider the risks that exist for their operations.”
It Starts With a Plan
“Avian influenza came from waterfowl, and the National Veterinary Laboratory established that it was one incident, a crossover, that brought the disease into the Texas Panhandle,” Tikofsky says. “But now, all these other subsequent outbreaks come from cattle moving between premises. Peridomestic birds, such as starlings and pigeons, may also act as [transmission sources].” (Peridomestic is defined as living in and around human habitations.)
Cattle transportation is a significant risk factor. If you are transporting animals, do you sanitize the trailer between loads? “If you’re in any rural area, you see cattle trailers going all over the place. We’re always moving animals these days. It’s not the same as back when cows stayed on the farm,” Tikofsky said.
And then, there are the potential interactions with people who may have moved from farm to farm. “Think about a large industry event where people are interacting, or shows where livestock are coming from various farms and congregating in one place,” Tikofsky said. “As an industry, we need to be cognizant of the risks that these events pose and work to ensure that biosecurity is at the top of mind.”
Moving from farm to farm is common, but that movement should be monitored, and hygiene practices put in place.
“We may visit other farms. We have visitors who may be coming from other farms. Even running an errand to another farm. These are simple examples where there is the potential for spreading a pathogen if it is present,” Tikofsky said.
But just how do you develop a biosecurity plan? It starts with your veterinarian. “Veterinarians are trained in epidemiology, so they are the single best resource to help you sit down and come up with a plan,” Tikofsky said. “Evaluate how your animals are transported, who are the people coming on the dairy. It can also include how you handle visitors on the farm. Do you have disposable boots or disposable coveralls to wear when on the farm? That is also a good basic practice.”
Tikofsky noted that while no vaccines are available for avian influenza, there are protections for diseases such as bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV). “A robust vaccine program can help stop a disease if it gets introduced,” she said. “And healthy animals are less likely to get sick.”
Biosecurity and a Disaster Plan
Recent severe weather in parts of the U.S. also disrupted the livestock industry. There were reports of animals being moved to temporary locations. Tikofsky said any biosecurity plan should include disaster preparedness.
“If we have a natural disaster, including a flood, tornado, or fire that impacts our farm and we need to move animals to other facilities, we need to plan on how that will be done,” she said. “How are we going to get them there, what is going to happen when there, and do we have a dedicated space separate from the home herd.”
Decisions while facing a disaster are often clouded, so having a plan can help reduce the chances of a biosecurity issue.
Protecting Against Potential Threats
The bottom line is to evaluate potential holes in your biosecurity program to help protect cattle against potential future outbreaks that could be much more devastating. We’ve already seen the issues in the poultry industry. “This is our opportunity to understand where the holes lie in our biosecurity program and evaluate how we can make it better. Avian influenza should be the industry’s wake-up call,” Tikofsky said.
Look out your window. Who’s coming onto your dairy? What are they doing? What are we doing? Can we manage bird populations so that we don’t have a barn full of starlings that may spread disease from one farm to another? Is there anything unusual occurring on the farm? “These are the questions you need to ask to have a robust biosecurity plan,” Tikofsky said.