Feedlot Biosecurity-Security in the Real World

Includes applications to cow-calf operations

Abstract

Biosecurity and security are different production issues, but both are important and must be properly addressed to protect the health oflivestock in an operation. The introduction of disease causing organisms (pathogens) into a livestock operation can either be intentional, as would be the situation with bioterrorism, or unintentional, as is often the case with improper biosecurity application procedures. The biosecurity and security activities will have unique standard operating procedures (SOP) and good management practices (GMP). The security and biosecurity SOP and GMP standards can vary between operations depending on the type and class of cattle raised or produced by the operation, and the operation's biosecurity goals and objectives. The security and biosecurity SOP and GMP outlined in this paper are generic and may not match the needs of different cattle operations. It will be important to evaluate the specific biosecurity and security needs of each production location and make adjustments in the generic checklists included in this paper. The biosecurity and security needs of each production location should be reevaluated on a regularly scheduled basis.