Every year the UK fresh poultry retail market has grown at a rate that considerably outperforms other meats, which is great for the industry, but can also present challenges to biosecurity. With increased consumption comes increased demand, with increased demand comes the risk of conjested poultry farms as owners try to keep up with demand. Large scale farming brings with it a heightened risk of disease. With bird flu outbreaks getting worse, there has never been a more urgent need for poultry farmers to heighten their biosecurity measures and make sure they have a watertight risk management plan in place.
Some of the major issues
In poultry farms, when disease outbreaks occur, they usually result from a failure in biosecurity measures, as a result of interaction with wildlife, or a combination of the two. For instance, wildlife interaction could result from wild animals sharing water, coming into the farm to feed or birds flying over and defecating somewhere on the premises. To a degree these can have been prevented through better biosecurity, such as making sure there are restricted food sources for wild birds or animals on site, having roofed areas over outdoor spaces and netting water sources on-site. Contamination can also come from nearby public access areas i.e., footpaths or common land. Water ingress can also result in contamination and poor hygiene procedural compliance among staff can also be an issue.
How best to mitigate against risk of disease
Conduct a risk assessment
You cannot mend the holes in your net before inspecting it to find out where they are. The same is true of risk assessment. You need to study the guidelines for biosecurity in poultry farming, perhaps with the assistance of an expert, and analyse the layout of your farm as well as the procedures in place to see what is lacking.
Formulate a biosecurity plan
After your audit has been carried out, you will be aware of where all of your risks lie. It is in these areas where you must focus, making each area as secure as possible without impacting adversely on your daily activities and the safe running of the farm. Your results must also be aligned with the regulations set by the Government and to your code of standards, like Red Tractor in poultry farming, to ensure compliance. Your day to day biosecurity procedures will differ from those that must take over in higher risk periods, such as during the winter migration. One of the key components of structural biosecurity on a poultry farm is clear signage. All maps of the farm must be clearly defined with markings for live bird areas, ancillary areas and other areas like staff changing facilities and feed storage. In addition, all staff must be fully versed in every part of the biosecurity plan and any new procedures you implement to shore up your facilities.
In the event of an outbreak
For any disease outbreak it is imperative that there is a plan in place for a swift response. This response will be different in the unfortunate case of an infected premises than in the case of a nationwide outbreak, but in both cases, clarity and vigilance will be key.