Biosecurity in times of crisis

A LESSON IN BIOSECURITY What cattle producers can learn from COVID-19 response efforts

by NCBA Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian Julie Herman, DVM

Every day cattle producers are taking steps to protect their families, animals and operations from various risks. These risks coud include inclement weather, poor nutrition, predators, viruses and microbes, contaminated water, among many others.

For instance, one of this season’s focuses is on protecting those newborn calves as they come into this world. The cattle production system in the United States does an amazing job of upholding high standards of animal care and handling, as outlined in the Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program. As much as farmers and ranchers focus on the health of their animals, current world health concerns are forcing them to apply these high standards of care to their families and communities more than ever before.

What the current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response around the world has taught us includes many basic biosecurity principles that will decrease the risk of transmission to other people. Social distancing, for instance, means deliberately increasing the physical space between people to avoid spreading illness. Therefore, social gatherings and large crowds are discouraged. Quarantining involves staying at home, using standard hygiene and hand washing practices and not having visitors.

With everyone working towards a common goal, which is to slow the rate of COVID-19 transmission so hospitals are able to accommodate those patients who need it, we uphold the same biosecurity standards that farmers and ranchers provide for their animals. Because there are no effective treatments for COVID-19, these environmental and social interventions along with hygiene practices will be more effective than medications. Sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves before our animals, but current recommendations are forcing farmers and ranchers to take care of themselves, too.

Currently there is no evidence that this specific strain of coronavirus will affect cattle. However, biological risk management is still essential for the people working on farms and ranches and for preventing the spread of illness between these operations. These techniques can also be applied to your cattle herd. As discussed in BQA, the goal of biosecurity is to protect animals from disease by minimizing the movement of biological organisms such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc. within or onto an operation. Prevention of common diseases is occurring every day. This may involve quarantining new additions to the herd in a separate pen for 21 to 30 days before introduction to the herd. Or it could be washing buckets, bottles, trailers or other equipment between individual animals or groups of animals.

Vaccination is a common way to aid in prevention of diseases such as Bovine Respiratory Disease in your cattle herd, but applying biosecurity principles remains important because not all diseases have vaccines available. Identification of risk factors for diseases such as Johne’s Disease or Salmonella would also be a part of this practice.

In the end, developing and maintaining a biosecurity plan that is specific to your operation is essential to keeping your herd and our food supply safe. For more guidelines on improving biosecurity at your operation, it is a good idea to refer to the BQA Manual. As we watch how COVID-19 is affecting our everyday lives, interactions and economy, it is pertinent for farmers and ranchers to be prepared for such a disease that would be just as (or more) devastating to our livestock industry.

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is the most contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hooved animals (i.e., cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, wildlife). This disease causes blisters in the mouth and on the feet of these animals. This disease does NOT affect public health or food safety, so meat and milk are safe to eat and drink.

However, the effects on our economy, trade and way of life would be tremendous if this disease were to enter the United States or North America. BQA is partnering with

the USDA-funded Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan to provide resources to cattle producers on how to properly prepare in case of an FMD outbreak. The SBS Plan and supporting training materials can be found at securebeef.org and provides valuable information on developing an enhanced biosecurity plan for your operation. On this site, producers can learn more about FMD, what it looks like in affected animals and find tools and design concepts to adapt to their facilities and their businesses.

Similar to the current COVID-19 outbreak, normal activities will be disrupted during an FMD outbreak. At the beginning of an FMD outbreak, limited animal movement would be implemented to allow for Regulatory Officials to identify where the infected animals are and plan for safe movement of animals. Identifying FMD in animals as early in the disease process as possible would be critical to minimizing the effect the disease has on the livestock industry and economy.

Cattle and livestock producers can prepare now by: • Having a national Premises Identification Number (PIN) issued by the office of your State Animal Health Official. • Writing an operation-specific enhanced biosecurity plan that can be implemented during an outbreak. Example plans and templates for feedlots and cattle on pasture are available at: http://securebeef.org/beef-producers/ biosecurity/. • Developing contingency plans for periods of restricted movement. For example, financial risk management will be critical if you are unable to move your animals or product during an FMD outbreak. • Keeping movement records of animals, people, equipment and other items on and off your operation • Preparing to monitor for FMD and being able to record observations.

With these goals, realize that biosecurity is always a work in progress as your business may change from year to year. However, you can prioritize action from the SBS checklists on what your operation has already done or can do quickly versus what could be developed over the next year. Record keeping is extremely important now and especially during a disease outbreak.

Biosecurity is one thing that the producer has the most control over. Resources in your community, such as your veterinarian, extension agent, or BQA state coordinator, could work with you to write a biosecurity plan and continue to implement it. They could also be instrumental in employee education on these biosecurity guidelines to focus on every day. The most difficult concept about biosecurity is both preparing for a disease that is common, such as BRD, or a disease we hope never comes, such as FMD. These concepts are instrumental in keeping both humans and animals healthy and can be continually improved upon.

For more information and downloadable preparation documents, please visit the Beef Quality Assurance website at bqa.org or the Secure Beef Supply Plan website at securebeef.org. Together we can take a stepwise approach to protect your animals and your business now and in the future.