Livestock biosecurity is the set of practices and measures aimed at protecting livestock from infectious diseases, pests, and contaminants. It involves preventing disease spread within farms and between farms, as well as limiting the introduction of pathogens from outside sources. Key aspects of livestock biosecurity include:
- Access Control: Restricting access to farms, minimizing contact between livestock and people or animals that could carry diseases, and ensuring visitors follow strict hygiene protocols.
- Animal Health Management: Monitoring animal health regularly, isolating new or sick animals, and implementing vaccination programs to control disease spread.
- Sanitation and Hygiene: Maintaining clean facilities, equipment, and vehicles to reduce the risk of contamination. This includes proper disposal of manure, using disinfectants, and implementing pest control.
- Feed and Water Security: Ensuring that feed and water sources are free from contaminants that could transmit diseases to livestock.
- Record Keeping: Keeping detailed records of animal health, movements, and vaccination history to quickly identify and address potential biosecurity threats.
- Effective biosecurity reduces the likelihood of disease outbreaks, protects animal welfare, supports productivity, and reduces the economic impact of diseases on the agriculture sector.
Our Mission
Raise producer awareness of the importance of biosecurity in general to protect their livestock from disease, reduce risk of disease transmission, minimize economic losses, and ensure food safety for consumers. Increase producer awareness of the need for enhanced biosecurity measures given the acute risk of Foreign Animal Disease (FAD), including Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), and help producers utilizing private and public lands voluntarily prepare for and defend against an outbreak to provide for continuity of business for the livestock industry in the advent of an FMD outbreak.
Vision
Prepare Nevada’s livestock industries to minimize and prevent disease to keep livestock healthy and their operations productive and economically resilient. Establish a cross-species secure food supply program for the State of Nevada to provide state and federal decision makers with a better understanding of livestock diseases and operational challenges when livestock are utilizing public lands that supports the industry during livestock emergencies.
Objectives
- Limit exposure of animals through the implementation of biosecurity measures.
- Maintain business continuity for Nevada's livestock industries, including producers, haulers, milk trucks, packers and wool processors during an FMD outbreak.
- Provide a single point of reference to find tools, training and resources available for producers wishing to implement enhanced biosecurity practices on their operations, regardless of species of livestock produced.
- Determine the areas in Nevada of greatest risk for transmission of FMD/FAD between livestock and wildlife, and conduct GAP analysis for identifying knowledge gaps regarding animal movements and transmissibility, and evaluate the effectiveness of potential measures for reducing the likelihood of transmission and improving the ability to control outbreaks.
