News

Time to beef up cattle biosecurity

A veterinarian says outbreaks of avian influenza in dairy herds are a reminder for all cattle producers to examine their biosecurity plans.

Dr. Joe Gillespie, senior professional services veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim, says start with the basics.

“Biosecurity could start at the simple level of knowing what the traffic flow is on and off my farm for people, feed supplies, livestock, so I know where there might be a risk for contamination,” he says.

He tells Brownfield educating everyone on the farm is vital.

“If we think about our farms and ranches in the U.S., the majority of them are family-owned farms, so we kind of negate the idea of doing training.”  He says, “But understanding the risk of moving disease from place to place just helps us all.”

Gillespie says producers should also consider quarantining new animals.

“If they came unhealthy, they’re probably going to show clinical signs of disease within two to four weeks, and it doesn’t have to be off-site.”  He says, “We can pin them separately.”

He says limiting nonessential access to animals, and providing protective equipment to any farm visitors are also good biosecurity measures.

Dr. Gillespie says producers can contact their vet and the state Department of Agriculture for help building a biosecurity plan.

AUDIO: Dr. Joe Gillespie – Boehringer Ingelheim