The key principles of biosecurity for protecting pigs and people during disease outbreaks

Identifying risk events, preventing cross-contamination of equipment and effectively controlling the movement of staff and visitors on your farm are just some of the basics to consider when preventing any disease from entering or leaving your pig unit.

20 April 2020

6 minute read

By: Emily Houghton

A feed truck being disinfected before entering a pig farm — It is almost impossible to completely sterilise everything on farm so biosecurity is really about diluting the concentration of environmental pathogens to a "safe" level

"The usability of that product is also essential to ensuring proper application: you want it to be user friendly and not cause burning or irritation. Provide a product with a nice aroma that’s kind to skin and you'll get a better job done."
-Stuart Heller, Technical Sales Manager, Neogen.-

proper hand-washing technique to remove viruses and bacteria from the hands — It's crucial to remember that external staff are also required to follow on-farm biosecurity protocol when crossing the threshold from the outside world and onto farm property

"We’re not lacking in science on farms, we’re lacking in education. There now needs to be a cultural shift on farm where we focus on the people involved in each event and each person is accountable for maintaining high standards of biosecurity in each event."
-Andrea Pitkin, DVM, PIC USA-

Emily Houghton

Editor, The Pig Site

Emily Houghton is a Zoology graduate from Cardiff University and was the editor of The Pig Site from October 2017 to May 2020. Emily has worked in livestock husbandry, and has written, conducted and assisted with research projects regarding the synthesis of welfare and productivity of free-range food species.