14 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2024 GUARD THE GATE A focus on biosecurity at the loading dock can impact animal health and productivity. Jeb Gent HEALTH/WELFARE Today’s pork producers know that biosecurity is essential in every aspect of pig production. While the concept is simple—preventing the spread of pathogens coming into or leaving a farm—the many facets of an effective biosecurity program can be overwhelming and difficult to measure. Taking a focused approach to analyzing biosecurity risks at an operation, prioritizing potential impact, and developing plans for continuous improvement are all key methods for keeping pigs healthy and productive. Effective biosecurity systems include establishing protocols and selecting products that fit your operation’s needs, then training personnel and building a culture to ensure that protocols are carried out consistently and with integrity. Biosecurity Matters for Animal Health and Bottom Line While the return on investment for biosecurity practices is not as concise or easy to measure as other areas of an operation, such as feed costs or vaccinations, we know that achieving the ultimate goal of delivering healthy, full-value pigs through to finishing is only possible when effective biosecurity is in place. Your operation’s longevity relies on it. Health issues in a herd reduce animal productivity, drain profits, and increase the lateral spread of viruses, creating a spiral that is difficult to get out of. The cost of high-profile viruses such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) is well documented and captures headlines. The annual cost of PRRSv in the US national breeding and growing-pig herd was estimated at $664 million in 2011, and PEDv has been estimated to cost the industry $27 million a year. Pork producers also face significant impacts from pathogens that don’t make the headlines but tend to persistently and consistently cause problems in finishing barns. A survey conducted by Holtkamp et al. found that the most common and challenging pathogens in finishing herds in the US were reported to be swine influenza, Mycoplasma hyponeumoniae, and PRRSv. In short, the swine industry battles a large number of pathogens. It can pay dividends to keep them from the production cycle. How do Pathogens Enter the Finishing Herd? The list of potential entry points for pathogens into a finishing herd is long and includes nearly every aspect of an animal’s life and care. For example, research has found that an estimated 55 percent of growing pig groups that are negative for PRRSv at placement are positive for the virus at marketing. This suggests that the virus was introduced sometime during the growing period, which can cause losses of approximately $2.29 per pig from higher mortality and slower growth. Viruses require a vector or pathogen-carrying agent, such as an object, animal, person, dust, or even air, to carry a virus into the finishing herd for possible exposure. Potential hazards include: • Animal movements, including weaned pig removal and introduction to the finishing barn, loading out finished pigs, and removal of mortalities; • Deliveries and removals, including feed and feed ingredients, propane and fuel, garbage removal, new tools and supplies, and manure removal; • People movements, including on-farm employee entry, repair and service personnel entry – both inside and outside a barn, veterinarian and other vendor entry; • Other animals and insects, including rodents; • Air and water entry through ventilation and the opening of barn doors. The transportation process is especially challenging, with the potential for exposure at every step. There is a need for biosecurity to be understood and prioritized by multiple parties. Don’t Forget the Loading Dock While there are many sources of possible pathogen entry, one area that represents a great risk but is often ignored is the loading dock. Loading out pigs headed to the processing plant can be seen as the end of those animals’ potential exposure, but remember that all other pigs in the building are at risk from the pathogens that find their way into the barn while their former barnmates are leaving. Each time the barn door opens, viruses can travel in on dust or on contaminated boots, clothing, or personal objects. The loadout area of a barn can also produce a “vacuum effect” that sucks in air, along with contamination from the outside or the trailer, when doors are opened. This effect increases when outdoor temperatures are warmer due to higher fan ventilation speeds. One of the most eye-opening demonstrations of potential risk in the loadout process is in Dr. Holtkamp’s 2020 trial using Glo Germ fluorescent powder. A mixture of fluorescent powder, wood chips, and obstetrics gel was placed just inside the rollup door of the livestock trailer. As pigs were loaded out, the loadout chute had a “consistently high level of contamination” from what the researchers determined were several sources. As pigs lunged up the chute and into the trailer, they lost traction, causing bedding and contamination to be thrown back onto the chute, whereupon load crew member boots, Application of a hygiene powder or similar product can enhance biosecurity in finishing barns, loading chutes, and livestock trailers. Source: Ascension Ag
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