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)