This video describes an introduction to biosecurity as preventive management practices implemented on farms to prevent introduction of infectious pathogens and resulting disease.
Video transcript
Narrator (Voiceover):
In this video, we will discuss biosecurity for cervid farmers, focusing on CWD.
What is biosecurity?
It’s a strategy to prevent the entry or exit of disease from an area, from farms to entire countries.
It’s like using mouse traps and infrastructure to protect feed from rodents.
It includes best management practices, hygiene, and physical measures, all working together to protect your herd!
The goal is to lower the risk of disease introduction as much as possible - though we can never lower risk to zero.
Why do we need biosecurity?
It reduces the risk of spread of CWD and other diseases, which protects both farmed and wild cervids by reducing the chance of introduction of CWD into an uninfected herd.
How can you help prevent the spread of CWD?
Complying with state regulations is an important first step. Applying additional herd-specific biosecurity strategies can further decrease the risk to your herd. These are especially important in areas where CWD is known to be present - assume everything outside your farm has the potential to be infectious!
Each farm has different risks, depending on the surroundings. Watch video 2 for more information.
There are many different strategies to help prevent CWD - some of which you may already be using. Work with your veterinarian to stay up-to-date on the latest scientific recommendations!
Prevent introduction into your herd by considering how to prevent contact between your herd and infected farmed cervids, infected cervid tissues, and infected wild cervids.
Focus your biosecurity on preventing the highest risk transmission pathways for your operation.
Disinfect equipment if potentially exposed to prevent introduction to your premises.
The CWD prion is inactivated by very few disinfectants.
Always remove organic material before disinfecting.
Reapplication of disinfectant may be necessary to maintain contact time.
Stay up-to-date on disinfection through the USDA CWD guidelines.
Go through the CWD biosecurity assessment with your veterinarian, see video 8 in this series, to identify areas of potential exposure on your farm!
Credits
This video was developed through collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, and produced for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture under USDA APHIS Cooperative Agreement AP22VSSPRS00C157 “CWD Training, Outreach, and Producer Education Program.”