Biosecurity checklist for pig farms

Biosecurity isn’t exciting but anyone and anything can walk disease in and out of your unit so it’s our best defence. This is a checklist to remind yourself and your team of the simple things which could keep disease away from your pigs.

People

  • Have a visitor policy and stick to it (you can say no!)
  • Record everyone on and off the unit
  • Look at people flow – can you put in showers or create a Danish/barrier entrance
  • Make barriers where you want people to change PPE or stop and add signs telling them what you want them to do
  • Keep PPE well stocked where you need it
  • Strict policy for pig contact and movement between units to limit cross contamination – remind your regular visitors and don’t be afraid to point out the obvious to those less experienced (many contractors won’t know that pork onsite is not permitted)
  • Extra vigilance for people that have visited travelled overseas recently

Pigs

  • Source knowing the health status of your herd and the pigs coming in
  • Check the health status of incoming stock and agree a suitable quarantine period in line with vaccination requirements
  • Keep records!
  • Organise the flow to keep groups separate and minimise contact with visitors

Vehicles  

  • Have a designated parking area outside the biosecure area
  • Make sure your signs and gates stop vehicles where you want them to
  • Provide cleansing and disinfection materials for vehicles (including your own!)
  • Cleanse and disinfect vehicles between units
  • Keep the parking area clean
  • Check delivery vehicles, including the cab (it should be clean)
  • Look at which vehicles come onto the unit and explore if you could take deliveries etc. further away from the pigs

Vectors of disease

  • Deter birds and wildlife
  • Keep on top of vermin control
  • Zero pig meat policy and make it known to all people on your unit
  • Make sure all suppliers of product to your unit(s) are aware of your biosecurity policies

Equipment

  • Keep it clean
  • Have a rota for checking (fresh eyes might spot something missed by others)
  • Limit any sharing of equipment wherever possible
  • Try colour coding to ensure that movement of equipment between ages of pigs is visible

Footpaths

  • Put notices up – check out the AHDB resources
  • Make people aware of the risk they pose
  • Check perimeter fencing regularly
  • Apply to reroute footpaths (not a quick change but can be worthwhile)

Biosecurity on pig farms

Biosecurity: People on pig farms

Biosecurity: Vehicles on pig farms

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