You’re nursing a coffee at the diner when you spot the man in line to order. He’s wearing brightly-colored suspenders crisscrossing his back to hold up slightly baggy jeans, and when he turns, you see he’s also tightly buckled a belt around his waist. You might have a chuckle at the overkill – but his pants are safe from falling!
“Belts and suspenders” is a good analogy to the approach Carthage Veterinary Service (CVS) took when revisiting the Carthage System managed swine farms’ biosecurity protocols recently to counter the rise of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) breaks across the industry. PRRS is the most economically damaging illness impacting our producers, causing an estimated $1.2 billion annually in lost production. This is according to a recent study by Iowa State University’s Dr. Derald Holtkamp.
When CVS/PSM Partner Dr. Clayton Johnson, DVM and I sat down to work on this updated Biosecurity Initiative, we started with a blank slate – not because Carthage System hadn’t always taken farm biosecurity seriously, but because we didn’t want to take for granted that our existing measures were the best to fight PRRS. Although swine producers have made it more difficult for this virus to invade their operations, that means the ones getting through are more virulent, more frustrating and, often, more devastating.
Science-backed review and update
In doing this update, we found most of what Carthage System farm managers and employees were already doing was scientifically sound, so we retooled those into the refocused, updated list of seven main focus areas:
Also, by “improving our farms’ biosecurity protocols,” I mean examining and refining specific steps. For example, recent research has shown that fogging new or contaminated supplies and areas might not be the most effective way to disinfect, as the mist may not fully infiltrate crevices where needed. In this case, additionally pump-spraying liquid disinfectant directly on surfaces to boost coverage against pathogens such as the PRRS virus.
On the other hand, we found many instances of existing practices already being our best defense — sometimes only needing extra attention. A good example of this is the use of a Danish entry for loading out weaned pigs. Rather than replace this highly effective step, we can add cameras at entryways to audit that these areas are being used as intended, to minimize the chances of carrying pathogens into a barn.
Thanks to technological advances making them less expensive than they used to be, Wi-Fi cameras can also be mounted in other high-traffic areas of the operation, including parking lots and supply truck entry venues, to increase biosecurity accountability.
Making protocol adoption easier
In building out Carthage System’s revamped Biosecurity Initiative, it was important to be realistic about what farms are equipped to handle and help them adapt or add to their infrastructure in order to implement new procedures. Some farms simply do not have a dedicated seven-night storage space to quarantine supplies before use in the barn, so either space will need to be repurposed cost-effectively or new construction may be needed.
Another critical step is to meet employees where they are. Our industry currently has one of the most educated workforces I’ve seen in my career, from managers to farm workers. A large number of these people are visa workers whose first — and sometimes only — language is Spanish. When we held our first webinar to go over the Biosecurity Initiative with farm employees, we conducted it in English but provided simultaneous translation into Spanish; we also printed bilingual materials.
We also tackled the implementation of the Initiative in steps. First was the webinar to provide information. Next came meetings with managers to answer high-level questions about processes. The third step is “pod” meetings, each consisting of 5-7 farms, to answer more detailed questions and learn what structural modifications and changes they require to improve biosecurity. After this will be a focus on single farms and their challenges, as needed.
I am pleased with the enthusiasm of team members to embrace these changes and put in the effort to make them a reality. I believe it helps that the direction is not just coming from CVS veterinarians and PSM management but also from pilot farms that were able to successfully implement changes — often, seeing your colleagues do something and having that peer-to-peer support is the best way to learn it yourself.
Carthage Veterinary Service relies on science and experience to provide unique and practical solutions to achieve the best outcomes for producers and their animals. Our teams work with producers and our production teams daily, and have a deep understanding of the challenges and intricacies of swine nutrition.
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Dyneah M. Classen, DVM, has been a Veterinarian with Carthage Veterinary Service since 2007. She is a Partner as well as its Director of Health, responsible for the overall health of assigned herds in the Carthage system. Her focus is providing leadership to the health team and sharing responsibility for protecting the integrity of food safety policies and procedures. She received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Illinois.
Live link:
https://www.nationalhogfarmer.com/livestock-management/biosecurity-better-tailored-to-prrs-prevention
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