Avian Influenza Roadshow 2016

Biosecurity What does good biosecurity look like and

how can you improve?

British Veterinary Poultry Association Vice President

Philip P Hammond BVetMed PGCert Avian Health

(hons) MAHM MRCVS

Aims

• Define and understand the 3 Levels of Biosecurity (conceptual, structural and operational

• Understand how biosecurity is used to reduce the risk of disease challenge

• Appreciate the significance of balancing cost and risk

• Understand that a biosecurity programme involves a systematic approach to reducing both – Disease challenge – bioexclusion

– The consequence of disease - biocontainment

• Know that the implementation of a biosecurity programme necessitates the demarcation of ZONES OF CONTROL

• Understand that the position of zone boundaries is governed by epidemiological principles

• The level of control increases with financial risk (the value of the operation)

• Understand the need for and methods of access control across the control zone boundaries – At the house level- foot bath, hand wash, bird proofing,

vermin and insect control – At the farm/site level – perimeter gate and fence, office

and shower, egg room, fumigation room, foot bath, vehicular access, visitation records, protective clothing, equipment, specialist crews, placement, transfers and depletions

– At the complex level- (hatchery)

• Understand the significance of turnaround time, culling and mortality disposal as it relates to pathogen reduction

INTRODUCTION

• Intensification to make improvement in resource utilisation has resulted in large scale farming operations

• Increased risk of “financial disease” and economic pressure has expanded the focus to include less well defined “multifactorial disease” which can decrease production efficiency

• Cost justification in decisions on whether or not to implement control measures has become more complex, requiring the aid of formal economic appraisal

• Risk of diseases vs economic impact of implementing biosecurity measure.

• The cost of disease is difficult to assess as not just based on economic performance but also product quality and viability

• Consideration for consequential loss and disruption to business

• As the process of economic control has evolved so too has the shift from cost of disease to the benefit derived from control strategies

What is biosecurity?

• Biosecurity includes all procedures implemented to reduce the risks and consequence of introducing an infectious disease into a flock.

• MUST BE BASED ON APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

• MUST BE PRACTICAL TO GET COMPLIANCE

• MUST BE ENFORCEABLE

• MUST BE COST EFFECTIVE

• A comprehensive biosecurity programme comprises a hierarchy of conceptual, structural and operational components directed at preventing infectious disease transmission from :

• Bird to Bird • House to house • Site to site • Complex to complex • Operation to operation • Region to region • Company to company • Country to country

• Every event in the process that involves a movement between house, site, farm , complex creates a risk of contact between an infectious organism and a host.

Definition:

Risk of infection= probability of the event causing infection x frequency of the event

How can the probability of infection be reduced

• Improve host resistance through immunisation

• Reduce the challenge dose through cleaning and disinfection

• Reducing the organism virulence by medication

Level 1 of a Biosecurity Programme - CONCEPTUAL BIOSECURITY • Primary level of biosecurity – involves location of poultry operation

and its components. • Physical location is the best means of limiting disease and is of

primary consideration when establishing a new farm or complex. Distance from other poultry farms is the most important biosecurity measure!

• The physical separation will limit the use of common vehicles and facilities, preclude visitation by any personnel not directly involved and reduce the indirect spread by vermin, wild birds, or wind.

• Avoid having farms next to public roads especially so in areas of high poultry density

LEVEL 2 of a Biosecurity Programme: Structural Biosecurity Includes Farm layout, perimeter fencing, drainage, change rooms

and housing design • Public roads and right of way represent danger of disease

introduction • Houses should be located on a farm so as to take advantage of

natural drainage and contours. • If a multiple age unit, houses containing immature stock should

be located upwind from older birds • Where possible, houses should not be located closer than 50m

from a fence line • Farms should ideally be securely fenced

• The water supply should be free of pathogenic bacteria or adequately disinfected

• All weather roads are required to limit introduction or dissemination of disease by vehicles and footwear

• A farm service facility should be provided containing an office for records, store for disinfectants, vaccinating equipment and tools for the site- as far as is practically possible equipment should be kept within one farm

• All facilities should be provided with an adequately equipped change room and shower facility for farm personnel and visitors

• Appropriate storage should be provided for litter and nest box material and farm equipment

• A concrete pad and water supply should be provided to decontaminate feed delivery vehicles and other vehicles that must enter the farm- all other vehicles should be parked outside the perimeter fence.

• On breeding farms, bulk feed tanks should be located adjacent to the fence line to eliminate the need for feed vehicles to enter the farm. For breeder farms, bulk tanks can be located adjacent to houses but vehicles require decontamination before entering

• Appropriate installations are required for disposing of carcasses on site- alternatively provision should be made for short term storage of carcasses on site for regular on site collection and transportation off site for disposal or rendering

• On site drainage should channel water away from houses to a retention area

• The design of poultry housing will depend on prevailing climatic conditions, type of enterprise and stock

• Poultry should be housed on concrete floors to permit complete disinfection and elimination of pathogens at the end of each cycle.

• Adequate levels of insulation are required in areas where extreme of temperature occur, so as to maintain the comfort of flocks and avoid stress, which may predispose flocks to infection.

• All houses should be should be protected against entry of wild birds and vermin

• Walls and doors should be rodent proofed, concrete floors are necessary if the entry of vermin is to prevented. Slope of floors is important in drainage and efficacy of disinfection.

• If cross flow extraction ventilation is installed, fans in adjacent houses should be positioned so as to direct exhaust air away from the air intakes of adjacent houses.

• An impervious material to limit tracking of soil and litter in to the house should be at the front of each building. Foot baths or preferably a change of footwear, will reduce the possibility of introducing pathogens into houses- a drained area for disinfecting and washing footwear should be provided

• Filters should be installed to remove particulate material from water lines. This is especially important if nipples or cup drinkers are installed. Closed water systems are preferred to open troughs or suspended bell drinkers, as there is less possibility of intra flock transmission of infection

• Electrical switch equipment should be installed in a module or workroom separate from the live bird area of the house. This will allow service and maintenance without contact with the flock.

• Disinfectant equipment, suitable for vehicle/equipment decontamination should be installed at the access point of each farm.

LEVEL 3 of a Biosecurity Programme:

Operational Biosecurity

This part comprises implementation and control of routine procedures intended to prevent the introduction (bioexclusion) and spread of infection (biocontainment) within a complex or enterprise. These “procedures” can be adjusted at short notice to respond to disease emergencies and constant review of these procedures is necessary.

Primary Control Zone- THE HOUSE - Every crossing of the house perimeter should be

considered as a potential means of pathogen transfer - All in all out placement strategy- so that

decontamination of the house environment by thorough physical cleaning followed by chemical disinfection and “down time” is possible between successive placements

- After placement the emphasis shifts to firstly limiting the frequency of the house perimeter breach events and secondly at reducing the probability of pathogen transmission in the event of an introduction.

• Vermin and Insect control • Decontamination- include feed bins, water lines • Turnaround time and downtime • Cull birds- the culling process must begin from day 1 following

placement- sick or ill birds should be removed and culled as they can act as a disease risk to other birds within a flock.

• Mortality- dead should be removed immediately- carcass decomposition results in the production of millions of potentially pathogenic organisms within the carcasses- toxins can also be formed in the break down process.

• Dead birds need to be removed and stored in a suitable container (in the shade) with no leakage and should be sealed to prevent predator access- dead should be collected daily, mortality collection vehicles MUST NOT enter the site and the vehicle move from youngest to oldest flocks

House Access: Each house must have sufficient protection against

the introduction of disease from outside sources -Footbaths -every entrance and exit should have one -should contain suitable disinfectant of correct

strength and be replaced regularly- solution should cover the foot.

- Hand wash basins - Hands must be cleaned prior to or on leaving the

house - Where no plumbing then minimum is alcohol hand

dispenser

• Bird proofing – All openings in the outer structure

should be netted – Doors to be kept closed – Maintenance programmes updated

• Vermin control – Regular programme of monitoring

required – Regular baiting – Ensure site tidy do not create

environments for harborage – Avoid feed spills

• Insect control

– Litter beetle is not only a major pest but is known to play a major role in disease carry over.

– Spray insecticide in the turnaround

– Consider red mite and flies too

SECONDARY CONTROL ZONE- Farm / Site The boundary of the farm/site serves as a physical (fenced) or

imaginary (non fenced) line of access control to the secondary control zone- the most crucial for disease control

• The site must be maintained to minimise protection given to vermin, predators or other organisms

• The grass must be kept short and the aprons free from grass and weeds- vermin are vunerable to predation when crossing exposed areas.

• Water must not be allowed to accumulate on site in open pools. Drainage must be adequate to remove excess water.

• Stagnant water is an ideal breeding ground for insects • No rubble or waste debris should be stored on site.

Access Control -site personnel should be only people on

site - No site personnel should have had

contact with other poultry or domestic birds for 2 days prior to entering the site

- Only essential visitors by authorised personnel such as mechanics, managers, working crews should be allowed on site. No authorised personnel should have had poultry contact for at least 48 hours with birds outside the company.

Perimeter Fence; - Site should be completely fenced

to deter predators, vermin and unauthorised people.- there should only be one access point controlled by staff- the access point should control vehicle equipment and people.

- Other animals should be limited and not encourage into the perimeter

- Control feed spills within perimeter to avoid other avian species which can cross the perimeter.

Egg Room

• Keyes trays- have they been delivered clean!

• The external door of the egg store should only be opened for the purpose of removing eggs

• Think about how eggs are removed from egg store- hygiene.

Footbaths-

- as for individual houses but at site level

Vehicular access

- must be disinfected prior to access

- complicated- live bird movements, feed,

- whole vehicular washing vs fine spray vs undercarriage only?

-Driver footwell

-Access gates to be kept closed at all times

Visitation Records -a visitor and vehicular register should be maintained at all times - include last farm visit, date of last poultry contact, time on site, reason for visit,

contact telephone number Protective Clothing -Colours are useful, egg collections, feed deliveries etc -Purpose of protective clothing is to provide site personnel with uniform that has

not had outside contact or contamination and therefore proposes no risk to poultry

Equipment -disinfected through fumigation, showering or spraying- mobile phones- store in

plastic bags- wipe with disinfection U/V

• Develop a BIOSECURITY QUALITY SYSTEM

• Develop a training programme

• Develop an audit system

• Implement corrective actions

• Continuous improvement

• Business Biosecurity Action Group

In summary: Biosecurity is complex Biosecurity is risk based Biosecurity needs to be cost effective Biosecurity requires a lot of planning whether at the

conceptual, structural or operation level Biosecurity requires continuous review and modification Biosecurity needs to be practical to achieve compliance Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility at all times – for the

security of the birds health and welfare, for public health, for the security of the future of the company and industry

www.bvpa.org.uk

Phammond@crowshall.co.uk

www.crowshall.co.uk