Everyone knows it’s difficult to control viral diseases like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and influenza. But Bryan Myers, a veterinarian with Pipestone, says it’s important to remember that controlling or eliminating secondary bacterial diseases will help minimize the effects of these burdensome viruses.
Biosecurity in sow farms has improved immensely over the years, Myers says. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in most wean-to-market operations.
“Don’t forget about wean-to-market biosecurity,” Myers says. “Having a hard ‘clean/dirty’ line in growing facilities is a big improvement at many sites.”
Don’t Cut Corners
Biosecurity makes a big difference. Today’s biosecurity protocols are more extensive than ever before. It’s easy to overlook a step here or there, says Brandi Burton, a veterinarian with Suidae. That’s why she says the best thing you can do is be as observant and as proactive in fighting disease as possible.
“For example, we have had terrible wind in Iowa this year, so it is very important for filtered farms to make sure fans, inlets, curtains, etc., are functioning appropriately,” Burton says. “Take the necessary steps to avoid errors in the system on those days.”
She encourages farm staff to keep the best interest of the pigs at the forefront of decisions, even when they aren’t on the farm.
“It may mean taking the long route to the farm,” Burton says. “If you pass a site on your drive that appears to have high death loss on your most direct route to the farm, it’s a good idea to find another way to avoid driving by that site. We can’t control everything, so we need to take all the steps possible on the things we can control.”
Lisa Becton, assistant director of the Swine Health Information Center, agrees it’s key to exert influence over things you can control, but adds it’s important to be aware of and plan for the potential risks out of your control.
“Continuously review your farm’s implementation of biosecurity procedures and keep farm staff engaged and empowered to evaluate and maintain those procedures,” Becton says. “Adjust as needed if risks change, such as changing to a new animal source or a change in a transportation provider.”
Teach the Why First
One of the best ways to make progress when it comes to biosecurity is to make sure caretakers and employees are educated on why these expectations exist in the first place.
“We can come up with the most complex biosecurity plans for these farms, but if that means farm employees aren’t compliant, we really aren’t helping anything,” Becton says. “Simple, impactful steps are the best. The team needs to understand why there is a zero-tolerance rule for cutting corners. Knowledge is power, and this can’t be discussed with farm staff near enough.”
Programs such as Secure Pork Supply and US Swine Health Improvement Plan (US SHIP) can aid in the development of biosecurity practices for disease prevention while the Swine Disease Reporting System (SDRS) and the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project (MSHMP) programs can be utilized to track and visualize disease status within the U.S. and identify trends for pathogen activity, Becton explains.
“There are a lot of resources available to producers and their veterinarians that can aid in their evaluation of herd health status and risks for disease introduction at a state, regional or national level as well as guide biosecurity best-practices for disease control,” she says. “These programs are available for any producer and their veterinarians to use and incorporate into their herd health monitoring strategies.”
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