WattAgNet: Biosecurity: The first line of defense against avian flu

Two poultry health experts shared tips to firm up biosecurity practices ahead of the fall wild bird migration season.

 

With the fall migratory season beginning in North America, farmers should take stock of their farm’s biosecurity and consider steps to improve it.

On September 15, WATT Global Media hosted a webinar on biosecurity and its role in defending farms against future outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Dr. Mueez Ahmad, technical support veterinarian for Neogen Corp., and Dr. Gregory Martin, educator and extension specialist at Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension, shared their views on establishing a sound biosecurity program and minimizing risk to flock health and financial performance. Watch the on-demand webinar, Biosecurity, your poultry's defense against avian flu, which was sponsored by Neogen and BASF SE.

 

Biosecurity risk assessment
Biosecurity is about minimizing the risk of infectious agents interrupting farm performance, Ahmad said. Diseases are everywhere and the threat is constant, so biosecurity should be seen as an investment to block numerous vectors from interfering with a successful poultry operation.

A biosecurity system is based on three major components:

Ahmed said all biosecurity programs should be based on risk assessment and tailored to the operation. Biosecurity guidelines available from national, state and local veterinary authorities are valuable, but they are guidelines not laws. Each farmer should consider the weak…