Canadian Beef Cattle On-Farm Biosecurity Standard

Principle 2: Manage the Movement of People, Vehicles, Equipment, and Tools

What is the risk to livestock from the movement of people, vehicles, equipment, and tools? People and vehicles, equipment, and veterinary or other tools are all capable of carrying disease into and within an operation. Thus, it is important to manage the risk.

In a biosecurity context, inanimate objects capable of carrying disease are referred to as fomites. These include vehicles, equipment, veterinary or other tools, and items such as clothing and shoes. The people who are capable of carrying disease include owners, staff and service personnel, and visitors. People, however, are not inanimate, and thus are not referred to as "fomites."

From a biosecurity or disease risk management perspective, certain movements require managing more than others. Primarily, these are movements involving entry to and within the production area, including the corrals, pens, barns, and pastures of an operation, and other areas where livestock are or may be kept. Movements involving entry to and within the farmyard are somewhat secondary in importance.

Why are the movements of people, vehicles, equipment, and tools near livestock an important biosecurity risk? Managing the movements of people, vehicles, equipment, and tools in the production area is important; people and objects can carry disease from one location to another and from animal to animal.

Target outcomes for the movement of people, vehicles, equipment and tools – The actions to manage or minimize disease risks associated with the movement of people, vehicles, equipment, and tools entering the production area are necessary to minimize disease, and in particular the spread of disease.

2.1 Apply Sanitation Practices That Are Relevant to Personnel, Visitors, Vehicles, Equipment, and Tools on Entry to, Within, and on Exit From, Livestock Production Areas

The movement of people, vehicles, equipment, and tools, and their contact with animals in the production area or the farmyard may facilitate the introduction, transmission, or spread of disease. Develop sanitation protocols to manage the disease risks posed by the following:

  • the degree to which a person's clothing, footwear, skin, or objects is/are contaminated with a disease; and
  • the area of the premises with which the person comes into contact, animals and the production area being of greater importance than other areas of the farmyard.

The production area where the cattle are, or where they may be, is the critical area in which to apply sanitation practices: at entry, within, and/or on exit. Likewise, the farmyard is important, as disease may be transferred from a person or a thing entering this area to personnel who will then transfer the disease to cattle in the production area. Accordingly, certain sanitation practices should be applied at the farmyard: at entry, within, and/or on exit.

These examples highlight the need for application of sanitation practices, as follows:

  • Require, at a minimum, dedicated clothing and footwear at each site for producers who work off-farm with other livestock (at an auction or on a different livestock operation).
  • Restrict temporary foreign workers (personnel) from accessing the production area for a period of time after their last contact with livestock and farm sites in another country. The length of time depends on the diseases present in the other country and the procedures applied to the accompanying equipment, clothing, and other items, in addition to the degree of animal contact in the foreign country and that expected in Canada, the biosecurity practices applied before leaving the foreign country and prior to visiting the farm site, etc. In addition, provide biosecurity education regarding disease risks and corresponding management practices on the operation.
  • Clean, and in some instances, disinfect, equipment and tools that are used for segregated animals prior to their use with other animals.

2.2 Minimize the Use of the Same Equipment for Both "Clean" and "Dirty" Tasks

Clean tasks are those in which equipment surfaces come into contact with feed, water, and new bedding. Dirty tasks are those in which equipment surfaces come into contact with deadstock, manure, used bedding, and garbage.

Having certain equipment dedicated for clean tasks only, such as handling feed, water, and bedding, and different equipment dedicated for dirty tasks, such as handling deadstock, manure, and garbage, helps prevent disease spread.

The unavailability of separate equipment for different tasks may necessitate alternative approaches:

  • Clean, and in some cases, disinfect, the contact surfaces on equipment used for dirty tasks prior to using that equipment for clean tasks.
  • Use an intermediary surface, rather than the equipment itself, and dedicate that intermediary to the dirty task only (e.g. use a chain to suspend deadstock from a tractor or a front-end loader bucket, rather than placing the carcass in the bucket itself).
  • Use dedicated equipment and single-use needles to administer treatments for segregated and/or sick animals.

2.3 Ensure Production Area Perimeters Are Sufficient to Contain Livestock, With Access Points That Can Be Closed to Prevent Access by People, Other Than in Cases of Deliberate Non-Compliance

Perimeters are used, at least in part, to keep some livestock in and other livestock out (e.g. fences, lakeshore, and river edges). To a degree, they minimize the potential contact with animals of other operations or wildlife. Although not a completely effective barrier to disease, natural and fenced perimeters do minimize what might otherwise be an uninhibited comingling of animals and introduction of disease.

Producers are often unable to maintain complete control over access to production areas, and this is understood. Such areas may be public lands, administered by others and/or located at a distance – a considerable distance, in many cases – from the home quarter, headquarters, or farmyard. Alternatively, the production area may be nearby, but along a roadside and/or completely outside the home quarter, headquarter, or farmyard. While people cannot be completely prevented from accessing such land, it is often possible to manage, to a degree, the risk posed by their access through the use of fences and signs.

The perimeters of production areas should generally be sufficient to contain livestock. It is understood, however, that natural boundaries and, in some cases, no boundaries are used at perimeters of some production areas. Access points should have gates, or some other means to prevent access.

2.4 Post Biosecurity Signs at Points of Access to Production Area and Farmyard

Biosecurity signs are posted at gates or entries to the production area where livestock are kept, and the farmyard where the office is located and equipment is maintained. Signs may also be helpful if posted at key points along the perimeters between access points.

Biosecurity signs can assist producers in controlling the traffic flow of people and equipment on, off and, to some extent, within the farmyard and, most importantly, around the production area that holds the livestock, which is of greatest concern. These signs may also be used to inform the public, visitors and/or personnel that they should not enter, or to indicate where and to whom they should report.

In some cases – at feedlots, for example – there will be a transition from public lands or roadways on to the farmyard, and from there, on to the production area. In other instances – commonly in cow-calf operations, particularly those in Western Canada – the production area is wholly or partially outside the farmyard and is accessible directly from public lands or roadways.

Signs could bear a variety of messages: Do Not Enter – Biosecurity in Effect; Biosecurity Zone; Biosecurity Practices in Place – Report to Office; or Visitors Report to Office.

2.5 Manage and Dispose of Deadstock and Manure to Minimize Contact With Live Animals

Preventing direct and indirect contact between deadstock or accumulated manure, and cattle, other livestock, or wildlife, is another important means of controlling disease. This helps to minimize disease spread from where it may exist (in deadstock or manure) to other livestock or wildlife from which it can spread further.

Most provinces already restrict the management and disposal of deadstock through existing provincial regulations, although often for reasons broader than animal health and biosecurity (e.g. environmental and food safety concerns). Disposal by natural means is permitted in certain provinces on range or pasture, and is subject to certain conditions. Other means permitted for disposing livestock include burying, composting, burning, and rendering.

While many provinces have manure-management regulations, their primary purpose is often to ensure containment relative to water sources and to match nutrient levels in the soil to crop uptake and use.

The following are some suggested manure and deadstock management practices for biosecurity purposes:

  • Use dedicated equipment, or clean and, in some cases, disinfect prior to alternate uses.
  • Regularly remove manure accumulations from key areas of the production area – in particular, prior to use for calving.
  • Inactivate potential disease agents through composting and weathering.
  • Contain deadstock and manure prior to disposal.
  • Maintain manure-free roads and tracks for use by service vehicles accessing critical locations within the farmyard and possibly the production area.

2.6 Minimize Pests to Reduce Exposure to Livestock to the Extent Practical

Minimizing direct or indirect contact between certain types of pests and livestock can reduce some disease risks. Where these risks exist, pest control may help.

For many operations, complete and/or effective pest control is not feasible. In this situation and when a pest population is a factor in the disease risk, producers should apply alternate disease risk management practices (e.g. increased monitoring, vaccination and/or treatment).

Though not considered pests, certain noxious weeds and foreign or invasive plant species may present a disease risk to cattle. In those areas where weeds or invasive species are a known risk, appropriate practices should be applied to control their spread.

2.7 Manage Livestock to Reduce Exposure to Wildlife to the Extent Practical

Direct or indirect contact between livestock and wildlife may result in exposure to a range of diseases not otherwise managed on an ongoing basis. Further complicating this is the fact that wildlife can serve as a (latent) carrier for diseases common to cattle, creating the possibility for undetected introduction and spread within the herd.

Where possible, livestock should be managed to minimize direct or indirect contact and comingling with wildlife. On many operations, however, it is impossible to manage livestock in a way that fully prevents direct or indirect contact or even comingling with wildlife. Where livestock are in contact with wildlife that has a known disease risk, additional disease risk management measures should be applied, including additional monitoring, vaccination, and/or testing.

2.8 Ensure Facilities Are Maintained and Clean

Facilities, including buildings, barns, chutes, fences, and pens, are not generally the means of introducing disease to the herd. Nevertheless, their involvement may lie in the persistent transfer of disease within a herd, where they are repeatedly used to house or process cattle, some of which may have disease. Thus, keeping facilities clean helps reduce the possible transfer of disease within a herd.

The following are two examples in which the condition of facilities can restrict the ability to address other disease risks with appropriate biosecurity practices:

  • The condition and, in some cases, the absence of a chute and squeeze may be an impediment to vaccinating cattle.
  • Some segregation facilities may not provide adequate separation from the main herd.

Keep facilities maintained and clean as follows:

  • Maintain their condition to ensure animals are contained and can be handled safely.
  • Apply appropriate sanitation practices, especially following disease occurrences and prior to calving.
  • Maintain facilities in a state of repair that permits their cleaning and, if necessary, disinfection (e.g. buildings and pens housing cattle, feeders, and waterers if used).
  • Ensure that garbage is stored in a manner that prevents contact with live animals and that it is removed regularly.

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