Unwanted trespassers on farm property are a reality for Ontario farmers. With a growing interest by consumers in where their food comes from, and more people travelling to rural areas for outdoor experiences, it’s not surprising that farmers are experiencing unwanted visitors on their farms. And it’s more than just an annoyance…it’s a biosecurity threat.

In a recent survey of Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) members, more than half of farmers surveyed reported having unwanted visitors or trespassers on their farm in the last five years. The majority of those surveyed had no biosecurity plan in place, including signage about biosecurity or trespassing.

This needs to change. The risk to biosecurity, especially for livestock operations, is very real and has the potential to pose a risk much larger than to just our own operation. Crop farms also run a risk if trespassers unknowingly bring new diseases into our fields or onto our property.

Building a biosecurity plan doesn’t need to be a daunting task. There are some simple steps that can reduce risk on your farm.

Make a statement with signs. When we surveyed OFA members, only one third of them had clearly posted No Trespassing signs. Start there. And if you have a livestock farm, consider adding biosecurity STOP signage too.

Put a lock on it. Lock building doors and vehicles.

Restrict and record entry into barns. When visitors do come in your barn and farm buildings, provide disposable booties or a disinfectant foot bath.

OFA reminds farmers to be prepared and call police if necessary. With an increased threat of activists and trespassers, OFA continues to advocate for more vigilant enforcement of trespassing.

For more tips on building a biosecurity plan for your farm – or to print biosecurity STOP signs – visit omafra.gov.on.ca and search under “biosecurity”.

For more information, contact:

Bruce Buttar
Director
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
905-373-6175

Neil Currie
General Manager
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
519-821-8883

Source: Poultryhealthtoday.com

Wet-bulb reservoirs in hatchery incubators should be included in the bacterial-monitoring program to ensure they aren’t the source of egg-shell contamination, Jean Sander, DVM, senior technical services veterinarian, Zoetis, told Poultry Health Today.

Her advice is based on recent experience with a US poultry company that wanted to figure out why bacterial counts on the surface of hatching eggs was high and, in some cases, actually increased during incubation when it should have declined.

Testing pre-set in both the egg-storage room and pre-transfer within the setter revealed that wet-bulb reservoirs — which generally aren’t included in bacterial-monitoring programs — were “teeming with bacteria” that matched the bacteria on the surface of eggs. There was also a hose used to wash floors that carried the same bacteria, Sander said.

Only eggs without gross contamination were tested. The types of bacteria found were primarily enteric in nature such as Enterococcus, Escherichia coli and Bacillus. In some cases, the bacterial counts were so high they were too numerous to count, Sander said.

“A good wet-bulb reservoir-sanitation program should be implemented,” and when hoses are used to clean floors where eggs are incubating, care needs to be taken to make sure eggs in racks aren’t contaminated, she said.

Other preventive steps

The quality of the chick coming out of the hatchery is critical to the productivity of broilers — and to food safety, Sander emphasized in the interview with Poultry Health Today, and suggested other steps to prevent bacterial contamination of eggs and chicks.

Hens should be trained to lay eggs in nest boxes; one way to do this is by avoiding dark areas that might attract hens so they’re more likely to go to nest boxes, she said.

If any eggs are laid on the floor, where the risk of bacterial contamination is greater, “It’s best not to use them if you can,” she said.

Vaccinating breeders against Salmonella is another way to prevent bacterial infections at hatcheries. And at the hatchery, make sure the eggs set are clean and that the overall hatchery-sanitation program is thorough, Sander said.

She called it a “big mistake” to discontinue in ovo vaccination against Marek’s disease as a way to reduce bacterial infections in the hatchery in the absence of antibiotic usage.

“That’s…avoiding a very essential and well-documented preventive-medicine program,” she said.  A better option would be to “make sure hatchery sanitation is adequate.”