Some considerations on biosecurity in livestock ecosystems

Dear readers, in agro-livestock ecosystems, great care must be taken that the animals that are managed there acquire some type of disease that can negatively influence production, producers and veterinarians are responsible for establishing preventive measures to maintain the health of the herd, since, if any animal becomes infected with any disease, it could transmit it to a large number of animals, which would represent great expenses for its control and losses with regard to production. In that sense, when talking about livestock biosecurity, it is a set of measures that must be implemented to avoid risks of disease contagion that may also affect the quality of products and marketing of animals.

Taking into account the aforementioned, it is important that all farms develop a biosecurity plan based on the history of diseases that occur in some geographical areas, in addition to complying with national vaccination programs directed by government agencies responsible for plant and animal health, in case of Venezuela is the INSAI (National Institute of Integral Agricultural Health).

From agrotecnia we consider that in livestock production units the following aspects are considered to achieve an adequate biodiversity plan:

First of all, to establish a biodiversity program, a veterinary doctor must be hired in the production unit, because no matter how much empirical experience a farmer has, the veterinary doctor is a professional knowledgeable about epidemiology and therefore knowledgeable about the diseases that develop in the localities where the farm is located, which will allow him to establish a biosafety program according to the climatic characteristics and pathologies that have occurred in the ecosystem.
In the same way, to establish the biosecurity program, as mentioned above, the veterinarian must identify which diseases have been evidenced within the farm or those that may possibly be present in the herd, within the plans it is specified which are the means by which the disease can be transmitted and establish preventive measures such as disinfection of equipment, washing of animal paws, quarantining the animals that enter among other alternatives that can be implemented.
It is important to know the impact that some diseases can cause on the herd such as abortions, infertility, problems in the udder among others that can unbalance the economy of the farm.
To work in an organized way, it is important that a well-outlined work methodology is used on how the animals will be handled, which hygienic measures to develop within the production support facilities such as cowgirls (disinfection of equipment, floor washing among others), in the same way as the animals will be handled within paddocks in terms of the conditions that arise there and the quality of the forages, because a well-nourished animal is a vigorous animal. To establish these measures, the veterinary doctor must carry out a thorough diagnosis in the different areas of the farm that will allow him to detect the weak points in the management.

As for the herd it is important to follow up the situation of each animal, to make that job easier it is important to have an identification of each animal with listed earrings or any other method, that will allow to keep in an orderly way the records of each animal, within the file of each animal you can specify the studies to which they have been subjected, epidemiological analysis. Also, as in any production unit, relevant information must be available with production data, reproduction, procedure, doctors (clinical reports), vaccinations, food, among others.

Final considerations

Dear readers, as can be evidenced in livestock production units, health plans must be established to keep our herds healthy, the types of vaccines must be known according to the type of disease, it must also be taken into account that the cost of the biosafety program, because ideally there is a cost benefit, for each dollar invested in the plan, this investment must be recovered with production, because a healthy and well-fed animal can maintain adequate production levels.

Bibliographic references

National animal health service (2011), Manual of good practices in the primary production of beef cattle. Costa Rica.

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