April 18, 2001

LINCOLN, Neb. — With livestock diseases running rampant across the ocean, Nebraska producers may be wondering what they can do to prevent disease from reaching their farms. While it is impossible to eliminate all risks, farm visitor policies can be an important step in reducing risks, a University of Nebraska veterinarian said.

"Right now farm visitors and contamination are on producers' minds because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe, but there are plenty of contagious diseases within our borders to worry about including salmonellosis, bovine viral diarrhea and pseudorabies," David Smith, NU dairy and beef veterinarian, said. "Producers should always be concerned about the risk of introducing new diseases."
Movement of animals from farm to farm presents the greatest risk of spreading livestock disease, Smith said. Producers should be aware of the risk of bringing in disease with animal shipments and make policies that fit their individual business.

"Some operations can make decisions about animal movement and some can't; it depends on how the business is set up," he said. "The important thing is to know where the risks are and try to minimize them whenever possible."

Pregnant and young livestock are the most endangered by contagious diseases, Smith said. Producers should consider the risk to these animals as well as the entire herd when creating farm visitor policies.

"Some operations cannot accept any risk for contagious disease and strictly prohibit visitors," the NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources veterinarian said. "For many livestock operations, simple biosecurity principles can be used to minimize the risk to acceptable levels."

The first step in minimizing risk is to evaluate all visitors. Some visitors pose more of a threat than others, Smith said.

"Visitors with recent exposure to livestock are more likely to carry in pathogens, so you should ask if visitors have been on farms or had other contact with livestock," he said.

If visitors have had contact with other animals in the United States, producers should consider requiring a 24-hour waiting period before further contact, Smith said. If visitors' livestock exposure was in another country, producers should require a five-day waiting period, ask that all clothing be laundered and that shoes and personal items are cleaned and wiped with a bleach solution.

"While visitors from other countries that haven't visited farms likely don't present risks, it is prudent to require all foreign travelers to wait five days before visiting. Also prohibit visitors from bringing imported meat or milk products that lack USDA approval," he said.

All visitors should be required to wear clean clothing and should have bathed since visiting another livestock facility. Providing clean coveralls, rubber or disposable boots and facilities to wash hands or shower may also decrease risks, Smith said.

"Farm personnel should also be included in these policies," he said. "After visiting other farms, they should be sure to bathe, change clothing and boots, and observe the same waiting periods until animal contact."

Minimizing direct contact with animals will also reduce risk, Smith said.

"The closer visitors are to livestock, the greater the risk for transmission, so don't allow direct contact unless it is necessary," he said. "Visitors' pets should not be allowed near livestock facilities."

Smith also suggested that, when possible, producers should prevent vehicles that have been on other farms from entering livestock pens, feed alleys or feed preparation areas.

Veterinarians often must visit more than one farm each day. Producers should talk with their veterinarians about minimizing the risk of disease spread, Smith said. Though many veterinarians change coveralls and boots between farm visits, it may be helpful to provide clean coveralls, disposable boots or a bleach solution to disinfect shoes, he said.

For more information, consult NU Cooperative Extension NebFact 01-471, Guarding Against Contagious Livestock Diseases From Farm Visitors, available at local extension offices.

04/18/01-HC

Heather Corley
IANR News and Publishing
(402) 472-3030

Department: Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences