Implementing biosecurity measures on dairy farms in Ireland

peer-reviewedDairy farms in Ireland are expanding in preparation for a new era of unrestricted milk production with the elimination of the European Union (EU) production quotas in 2015. Countries experiencing a changing agricultural demographic, including farm expansion, can benefit from documenting the implementation of on-farm biosecurity. The objectives of this study were to document and describe influences on biosecurity practices and related opinions on dairy farms. A representative response rate of 64% was achieved to a nationwide telesurvey of farmers. A 20% discrepancy was found between self-declared and truly ‘closed’ herds indicating a lack of understanding of the closed herd concept. Although >72% of farmers surveyed considered biosecurity to be important, 53% stated that a lack of information might prevent them from improving their biosecurity. Logistic regression highlighted regional, age, and farm-size related differences in biosecurity practices and opinions towards its implementation. Farmers in the most dairy cattle dense region were three times more likely to quarantine purchased stock than were their equivalents in regions where dairy production was less intense (P = 0.012). Younger farmers in general were over twice as likely as middle-aged farmers to implement biosecurity guidelines (P = 0.026). The owners of large enterprises were almost five times more likely to join a voluntary animal health scheme (P = 0.003), and were over three times more likely to pay a premium price for health accredited animals (P = 0.02) than were those farming small holdings. The baseline data recorded in this survey will form the basis for more detailed sociological and demographic research which will facilitate the targeting of future training of the farming community in biosecurity

“Catch 22”: biosecurity awareness, interpretation and practice amongst poultry catchers

Campylobacter contamination of chicken on sale in the UK remains at high levels and has a substantial public health impact. This has prompted the application of many interventions in the supply chain, including enhanced biosecurity measures on-farm. Catching and thinning are acknowledged as threats to the maintenance of good biosecurity, yet the people employed to undertake this critical work (i.e. ‘catchers’) are a rarely studied group. This study uses a mixed methods approach to investigate catchers’ (n = 53) understanding of the biosecurity threats posed by the catching and thinning, and the barriers to good biosecurity practice. It interrogated the role of training in both the awareness and practice of good biosecurity. Awareness of lapses in biosecurity was assessed using a Watch-&-Click hazard awareness survey (n = 53). Qualitative interviews (n = 49 catchers, 5 farm managers) explored the understanding, experience and practice of catching and biosecurity. All of the catchers who took part in the Watch-&-Click study identified at least one of the biosecurity threats with 40% detecting all of the hazards. Those who had undergone training were significantly more likely to identify specific biosecurity threats and have a higher awareness score overall (48% compared to 9%, p = 0.03). Crucially, the individual and group interviews revealed the tensions between the high levels of biosecurity awareness evident from the survey and the reality of the routine practice of catching and thinning. Time pressures and a lack of equipment rather than a lack of knowledge appear a more fundamental cause of catcher-related biosecurity lapses. Our results reveal that catchers find themselves in a ‘catch-22′ situation in which mutually conflicting circumstances prevent simultaneous completion of their job and compliance with biosecurity standards

Lawrence O. Gostin on Biosecurity Policy: Are We Safer Today?

World-acclaimed authority Lawrence O. Gostin analyzes biosecurity policy since 9/11. He begins with the question: Are we safer now? Then comes a review of biosecurity legislation, followed by discussion of planning to deal with specific diseases and the problems with such an approach, and then an explanation of what the right approach is. He concludes by covering the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act and related civil liberties questions

Regulatory Issues in Biosecurity

The management of biosecurity risks (risks to the production sector, to indigenous biodiversity, and to public health) involves the exercise of extensive regulatory powers both at the border and within New Zealand. This paper reviews the Biosecurity Act 1993, paying particular attention to its requirements for risk analysis and decision-making. These are generally of a high standard. Requirements at the border are significantly influenced by New Zealand’s trading obligations and opportunities. Requirements for domestic pest management strategies are elaborate but can be sidestepped. Cost recovery practices for biosecurity differ widely and have been controversial.biosecurity, pests, regulation, risk management, cost recovery

Effect of enhanced biosecurity and selected on-farm factors on Campylobacter colonization of chicken broilers

Human campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported gastrointestinal bacterial infection in the EU; poultry meat has been identified as the main source of infection. We tested the hypothesis that enhanced biosecurity and other factors such as welfare status, breed, the practice of partial depopulation and number of empty days between flocks may prevent Campylobacter spp. caecal colonization of poultry batches at high levels (>123 000 c.f.u./g in pooled caecal samples). We analysed data from 2314 poultry batches sampled at slaughter in the UK in 2011–2013. We employed random-effects logistic regression to account for clustering of batches within farms and adjust for confounding. We estimated population attributable fractions using adjusted risk ratios. Enhanced biosecurity reduced the odds of colonization at partial depopulation [odds ratio (OR) 0·25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·14–0·47] and, to a lesser extent, at final depopulation (OR 0·47, 95% CI 0·25–0·89). An effect of the type of breed was also found. Under our assumptions, approximately 1/3 of highly colonized batches would be avoided if they were all raised under enhanced biosecurity or without partial depopulation. The results of the study indicate that on-farm measures can play an important role in reducing colonization of broiler chickens with Campylobacter spp. and as a result human exposure

Loss prevention for hog farmers: Insurance, on-farm biosecurity practices, and vaccination

Using agricultural household survey data and claim records from insurers for the year 2009, this paper analyzes hog producers' choice of means of loss prevention and identifies the relationships among biosecurity practices, vaccination, and hog insurance. By combining one probit and two structural equations, we adopt three-stage estimations on a mixed-process model to obtain the results. The findings indicate that biosecurity practices provide the basic infrastructure for operating pig farms and complement both the usage of quality vaccines and the uptake of hog insurance. In addition, there is a strong relationship of substitution between quality of vaccine and demand for hog insurance. Hog farmers that implement better biosecurity practices are more likely to seek high-quality vaccines or buy into hog insurance schemes but not both. For those households with hog insurance, better biosecurity status, better management practices, and higher-quality vaccine significantly help to reduce loss ratios. However, we also find a moral hazard effect in that higher premium expenditure by the insured households might induce larger loss ratios.Biosecurity, hog insurance, loss prevention, vaccine,

Fostering the Biosecurity Norm: Biosecurity Education for the Next Generation of Life Scientists

Sustainable education on biosecurity and dual use for life scientists is increasingly recognised as being an important element of broader efforts to achieve biosecurity. To address this issue, a joint project between the Landau Network-Centro Volta and the Bradford Disarmament Research Centre has been initiated to analyse what currently exists in terms of biosecurity and dual use education, but also how such education can be most effectively achieved in a sustainable fashion. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the findings of a survey on the extent of, and attitudes to, biosecurity and dual use education in European universities, and outline the educational activities undertaken through a network of contacts built through the survey and some of the conclusions drawn from engagement with this network. The paper also outlines the development and optimization of an Educational Module Resource intended to support lecturers in the improvement and implementation of educational material related to biosecurity and dual use. This is further expanded by the authors' experience derived from implementation tests conducted at universities around Europe, in which material was tested with students and faculty members. To date, the main results from this evaluative process are that students and faculties are generally unaware of biosecurity and dual use concerns, but nonetheless appear interested in discussing these topics and have initiated challenging debates on the importance of balancing factors such as security, research, secrecy and development. However, serious efforts in terms of developing and promulgating education more broadly across the life science community will require concerted actions which look at education but also at other mutually reinforcing intervention points such as funding bodies, authors and publishers. Moreover, in the longer term it will also be necessary to develop new mechanisms and metrics to determine success in these activities and ensure that educational activities are contributing, along with other legal and regulatory measures, to mitigating the challenge of potential misuse of the life sciences in the 21st century

SurF: an innovative framework in biosecurity and animal health surveillance evaluation

Surveillance for biosecurity hazards is being conducted by the New Zealand Competent Authority, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to support New Zealand's biosecurity system. Surveillance evaluation should be an integral part of the surveillance life cycle, as it provides a means to identify and correct problems and to sustain and enhance the existing strengths of a surveillance system. The surveillance evaluation Framework (SurF) presented here was developed to provide a generic framework within which the MPI biosecurity surveillance portfolio, and all of its components, can be consistently assessed. SurF is an innovative, cross‐sectoral effort that aims to provide a common umbrella for surveillance evaluation in the animal, plant, environment and aquatic sectors. It supports the conduct of the following four distinct components of an evaluation project: (i) motivation for the evaluation, (ii) scope of the evaluation, (iii) evaluation design and implementation and (iv) reporting and communication of evaluation outputs. Case studies, prepared by MPI subject matter experts, are included in the framework to guide users in their assessment. Three case studies were used in the development of SurF in order to assure practical utility and to confirm usability of SurF across all included sectors. It is anticipated that the structured approach and information provided by SurF will not only be of benefit to MPI but also to other New Zealand stakeholders. Although SurF was developed for internal use by MPI, it could be applied to any surveillance system in New Zealand or elsewhere