Canadian Beef Cattle On-Farm Biosecurity Standard

Glossary

Biosecurity Terminology

Biosecurity: Those practices that prevent or mitigate the introduction of disease to, its spreading within, and its being released from operations that may contain livestock.

Biosecurity zone: An area where biosecurity procedures are practised and monitored to reduce the transmission of disease (e.g. controlled access zone and/or restricted access zone).

Cleaning: A practice that removes accumulated organic matter and dirt; may be followed by disinfection.

Controlled access: Access managed by way of identifiable entry and exit points in a visually identifiable perimeter demarcation. May include gates, texas gates, or driveways in fences or other visually identifiable perimeter demarcation.

Controlled access zone (CAZ): An area where access is controlled or managed, constituting the home quarter or headquarters, accessible through a controlled access point. Comparable context to the home quarter or headquarters of a beef cattle operation.

Direct contact: Close contact between animals (e.g. nose-to-nose, social interaction, breeding).

Disease: A broadly applied term encompassing the introduction, transmission, spread and/or existence of a range of pests, pathogens, and other disease-causing agents, including toxins, with the emphasis of this Standard being infectious disease.

Disinfection: A practice that inactivates or destroys disease organisms, and that must be preceded by cleaning.

Fomite: Any inanimate object or substance on which disease may be carried or transferred. May include, but is not limited to, vehicles, equipment, tools (veterinary and other), clothing and shoes.

Indirect contact: Common contact between animals through a person, piece of equipment, surface, insect, etc.

Practice: A generally observed procedure that is followed by the operator(s), and not necessarily documented or detailed to the extent of a protocol.

Protocol: A defined and documented procedure to be followed, detailing the steps to follow to meet an objective.

Restricted Access Zone (RAZ): Area or physical location of livestock, or where they may be held, and where additional procedures to reduce disease transmission are applied, including further restrictions on the movements of people and equipment. Typically accessed through a controlled access point from the CAZ and contained within the CAZ. Comparable in context to the production area of a beef cattle operation, although access often cannot be controlled and location is often outside the home quarter and headquarters.

Sanitation: An overarching set of practices that reduce the presence of organic material and debris and the presence, survivability, and infectivity of disease agents.

Secured access: Access through controlled access points is prevented, apart from deliberate non-compliance. Might include gates or doors in fences or buildings in visually identifiable perimeter demarcations capable of restricting livestock movements and human movements.

Equipment

Equipment: Farm machinery, implements, and livestock conveyances, excluding vehicles for personal and business transport.

Vehicles: Intended for personal and business transportation (not livestock transportation).

Feed

Grain: Grain-based animal feed.

Roughage: Grass or legume-based animal feed.

Land and Operations

Farmyard, home quarter or headquarters: The operation's home farm, ranch or land parcel.⁵ May differ from the term "premises,'' used in the context of traceability, and having a narrower definition.

Operation: Business entity, typically comprised of one or more parcels of land.

Production area or stock-keeping area (PA): The operation's corrals, pens, barns, and pastures where livestock are or may be kept.⁶

Other

Commingled animals: Animals having contact with animals of other species or other operations.

Compost: The active process (piled, windrowed, turned, etc.) of controlled biological decomposition of bedding, manure, and waste to eliminate disease and produce a mature soil amendment. Provision of compost for retail packaging and sales typically meets this definition; piled or stored manure does not.

High-risk animals: Animals with a greater risk than others of transmitting a disease, or an unknown risk, including those of unknown health status, of a different species, not part of the herd, returning after being away from the herd, or sick or recently recovered.

Incoming animals: Animals that have been purchased or acquired for introduction into the resident herd or animals returning from a brief absence from the herd (exhibition, show, etc.).

Personnel: Staff, owners, and operators and their family members.

Pests: Vermin, including mice, rats, insects and birds.

Highly susceptible animals: Animals that are at greater risk than others of infection following disease exposure, including calves or young stock; sick, stressed, or recently recovered animals; and those lacking immunity or resistance.

Visitors: All people entering the farmyard (home quarter or headquarters) or production area with permission (e.g. service providers and professionals, school tours, international visitors), excluding personnel.

Wildlife: Game and non-game animals, such as deer, elk, and others; fur-bearing animals such as skunks and beavers; predators such as coyotes and wolves; and birds.

5. Comparable context to Controlled Access Zone

6. Comparable context to Restricted Access Zone

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