Food safety and animal health are of utmost importance to consumers as well as producers, and protection related to both these issues starts at the farm level. David R. Wolfgang and Ernest Hovingh, Pennsylvania State University Extension veterinarians, say the acronym “IRS” is a good way to think about biosecurity and biocontainment principles, because it stands for Isolation-Resistance-Sanitation.
Isolation
“The single biggest biosecurity risk is posed by the addition of animals to a herd or flock,” write Wolfgang and Hovingh in their article, Biosecurity – A Practical Approach. “The prevalence of specific infectious agents of concern should be determined for the farm. New additions to the herd should be inspected carefully, screened and quarantined for infectious diseases. A program to routinely and systematically monitor and survey the herd for the presence of important infectious agents should be implemented.
Resistance
Resistance includes nutritional, environmental, pharmacological and immunological practices that improve the animal’s ability to resist disease, say the authors. These external factors, coupled with the natural genetic disposition of certain animals, provide an animal with either increased or decreased susceptibility to certain infectious diseases.
Sanitation
While frequently the least attractive aspect of a biosecurity/biocontainment plan, sanitation is often the key factor in minimizing spread and limiting the course of infectious diseases. This involves the removal or eradication of persistently infected or carrier animals, as well as the disinfection of any potentially contaminated equipment or facilities, the authors say.
Wolfgang and Hovingh provide more details, including general facts about disinfectants, how to develop a biosecurity plan and a biosecurity risk-assessment chart.
Originally published in September 2016 by David R. Wolfgang and Ernest Hovingh, Penn State Extension team veterinarians. Read the full article here.
Photo courtesy of Penn State University
