Biosecurity for agribusiness
Suggested Steps For Agribusiness Personnel to Improve Biosecurity on Farm Visits
- Make an appointment
- Do not interact with animals unless necessary
- Stay out of feeding and feed storage areas unless necessary
- Never travel from cow lanes/pens to feeding areas
- Plan your visit: sample forages first and evaluate cows last
- Wear freshly laundered coveralls and hat
- Always disinfect footwear upon arriving and leaving each farm
- Wash your hands before and after interacting with animals
- Wear gloves if you need to touch cows’ udders
- Use footbaths if they are provided
- Make sure any colleagues who are accompanying you adhere to biosecurity protocols
Be prepared to provide coveralls, boots, and hats for your colleagues
Visitors/Visiting Workers from Foreign Countries
- Provide clean clothing and footwear for visitors who will have contact with your animals
- Visitors from countries where Foot and Mouth Disease is endemic must disinfect clothing before visiting
- Visitors from countries where Foot and Mouth Disease is endemic must avoid ALL contact with both livestock and wildlife for 14 days prior to visiting a US farm
- If you will travel to another country, follow these guidelines yourself
Cleaning
- Disinfectants cannot work in the presence of organic matter (feed, manure, etc.)
- When cleaning animal areas or equipment, remove all organic matter by sweeping, washing, scraping, etc. prior to disinfecting
- For best disinfecting results, thoroughly wash areas with a cleaning solution prior to disinfecting
- Thorough cleaning can remove 85-95% of microbes
Disinfecting
- If you work directly with animals, disinfect your equipment between animals, groups and farms
Cameras, computers, and other personal items can be wiped with a bleach disinfecting solution should they become contaminated with feed, manure, saliva, etc.
- Disinfecting should begin only after surfaces are clean and dry
- Disinfecting procedures should
Start at the top of the item to be disinfected and work down
Ensure that disinfectant solution runs off all the surfaces
- Allow disinfected surfaces to dry before using
- Suggested disinfectant for Foot and Mouth Disease
1 ounce of household bleach per gallon of water
2.5 ounces of household bleach per gallon of water for soiled surfaces such as boots
Pest Control
- Keep your dog at home - Do not allow dogs to accompany you on farm visits