It costs a lot of money. It takes a lot of work. And if you do it perfectly, the result isn’t even visible at first.
It’s no wonder it’s hard to convince people to do the right thing and follow biosecurity protocols – especially when they get “nothing tangible” in exchange, points out Karine Talbot, DVM, a veterinarian with HyLife, Ltd., in La Broquerie, Manitoba, Canada.
That’s why she says it’s time to change how we talk about biosecurity.
“We have to assume barns have disease even when we think they don’t,” Talbot says. “Biosecurity is more than just controlling what is coming into a herd – don’t forget what is coming out.”
Most of the conversation around biosecurity is centered on bioexclusion or preventing disease from entering the herd. Although this is incredibly important, Talbot says when it comes to a disease like porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), biosecurity requires a strong focus on all three components of biosecurity: bioexclusion, biocontainment and biomanagement.
She defines biocontainment as all the steps taken to prevent infectious diseases from getting out of an infected barn and spreading to others. Meanwhile, biomanagement refers to the internal biosecurity steps taken to prevent (or minimize) infectious diseases from spreading from infected pigs to non-infected pigs within the same barn.
PEDV: A Different Beast
Talbot shared her experiences as a Canadian veterinarian who has dealt with PED virus elimination and works for a company that prioritizes biosecurity during her presentation at the Carlos Pijoan SDEC Symposium at the 2023 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference in Saint Paul, Minn. The symposium focused on PEDV and its impact on the pork industry in North America.
“PEDV is a different beast when it comes to biosecurity; it is extremely infectious and contagious among pigs, and very little is needed to infect a naïve barn. If strong bioexclusion and biocontainment are not in place ahead of an outbreak, PEDV can spread like wildfire,” Talbot says.
We need to spend more time talking about biomanagement and biocontainment in all types of operations, including sow, nursery and finishing, she points out.
Risk Versus Impact
The level of bioexclusion implemented is often based on a risk versus impact approach per barn. Boar studs, multipliers and sow barns usually have a higher level of bioexclusion protocols to protect them from diseases.
“But in a pig-dense area, does it still make sense to have low biosecurity levels in certain herds?” she asks. “If a finishing barn near a large sow barn breaks with PEDV due to poor biosecurity protocols, it will increase the risk for that sow barn, no matter how good their bioexclusion protocols are. To control disease like PEDV, everyone and every barn must have good biosecurity measures in place.”
It’s Never a Single-Herd Problem
Biocontainment is critical to protect others against PEDV. From people and trucks to tools and equipment, everything coming out of the herd becomes a potential risk to spread PEDV to others. She warns producers not to forget about pigs, too.
“Where are the PEDV positive pigs going to be placed? Close to which barn? Whose barn? With PEDV (and many other diseases), it’s never a ‘single-herd problem.’ One producers’ disease management decision will impact the neighbors around them, the neighbors where the positive pigs will be moved, and the industry in general,” Talbot explains.
Knowing is Half the Battle
She also believes biosecurity plans need to include health monitoring (surveillance) and sharing of information.
“To have a chance in the fight against PEDV, we need to know which herds are positive by performing routine surveillance. And that information must be shared between vets and producers in the area,” Talbot says. “As the popular saying goes: ‘knowing is half the battle!’”
Prevention is hard, she agrees. Biosecurity requires constant effort and all hands on deck. But when a biosecurity breach occurs and a disease like PEDV gets into a herd, the resulting financial loss is devastating.
“To be successful in the fight against PEDV, biocontainment and biomanagement must be implemented in all type of herds (sow, nursery and finishing). It’s much easier to protect herds in areas where PEDV is not present,” she says. “Biosecurity protocol is always as strong as its weakest link.”
Editor’s Note: Although PEDV is extremely infectious and contagious among pigs, it poses no food safety or human health risks.
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