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The integrated and con-centrated poultry industry requires much stricter and coordinated biosecurity in-structions and measures to prevent considerable biolog-ical and economical losses. Management practices are designed to prevent introduc-tion, spreading and causing loss of infectious diseases.

Prevent disease transmission by humans• Prevent unauthorized access to poultry farms and other poul-

try industry facilities,• All people should shower and change clothes entering to farm

or poultry facilities,• Maintain visitors record,• Sanitizing your hands and boots when entering and leaving

poultry houses or other poultry facility’s operational units,• Clean and disinfect all equipment and materials before bring-

ing into farm or poultry facilities,• Visit the youngest flock always first.

Prevent disease transmission by animals• ‘All in-all out’ system is obligatory on poultry farm to prevent

circulation, transmission of diseases,• The longer the downtime (service period) the lower risk of dis-

ease transmission between flocks; downtime should not be less than 7 days!

• Keep wild birds, other animals out of all poultry facilities, maintain an effective rodent, insect program,

• Store litter, feed and other materials used in poultry house inside and enclosed storage bin or building,

• Keep order on the whole site of poultry farm, facilities.

1. biosecurity resPonsibility

The poultry company’s biosecuri-ty coordinator (veterinary surgeon or manager) should develop,implement, maintain and monitor the ongoing ef-fectiveness of the poultry integration’s and facilities, including farm’s biose-curity program. A biosecurity program

should be reviewed at least once a year and re-vised as necessary. This responsibility cannot be leaved to officials as administrative proce-dure, as biosecurity is primary interest of the poultry company.

2. trainingThe poultry operation’s (breeder farms,

hatchery, production farms, process-ing plant, further processing plant and logistic) biosecurity program should

include training materials that cover site-specific and company wide proce-

dures. Responsible management should com-plete the biosecurity training, and it should be done once a year and documented. New em-ployees should be trained at the time of hiring.

3. isolated Poultry facilities

As all poultry facilities are related to live poultry or food, very clear and strict biosecurity measures must be imple-mented to prevent as possible all kind

of infections, including wild birds, other animals (wild or domestic), viruses, bac-

teria, parasites, rodents or insects. All poultry facilities must be fenced in and managed ac-cording to black and white isolation system.

4. line of seParationAs poultry diseases can travel in the

facilities, poultry house on workers, so a real, physical barrier is needed to create a line of separation and en-

sure clean and dirty areas are actually

separated. A line of tape on the ground will not work. A three-stage, anteroom setup is best, but something as simple as a bench is effec-tive. The line of separation is a functional line that separates the poultry house and the birds inside from exposure to disease. It is defined as the walls of the poultry building with practical deviations to account for entry points, structur-al aspects or outside access areas.

5. Perimeter buffer areaThe perimeter buffer area, to lim-

it transmission of the disease the area surrounding the poultry house or area where poultry is raised, or

poultry products are produced, sep-arating the birds, products from areas

unrelated to poultry production and/or adjoin-ing properties. It includes the poultry houses and poultry-raising areas, nearby structures and high-traffic areas involved in the daily function of the farm, such as feed bins, manure sheds, composting areas, egg rooms, genera-tors and pump rooms. In the past, farmers be-lieved they had a safe, clean perimeter if they drew an imaginary line around the farm. The HPAI outbreak reinforced that this is not an ef-fective strategy. The line of separation between clean and dirty areas should be drawn around the poultry houses and it should be an actual, secure barrier. Furthermore, a secure buffer area needs to be established around the farm itself to limit the risk of disease transmission.

6. PersonnelA biosecurity program should in-

clude provisions that address pro-cedures and bio security personal protection equipment for employ-

ees and non-farm personnel, when entering the poultry facilities, farms

and crossing the line of separation. Again, em-ployees need to be trained in proper procedure to ensure the line of separation is effective and preventing the spread of disease.

7. Wild birds, other animals, rodents and insects

Farms should have in place control measures that prevent contact with and protect poultry from wild birds, other animals, their fences and their

feathers, as well as rodents, insects. These measures should be reviewed

during periods of heightened risk of disease transmission. Poultry facility managers, farm-ers need to ask themselves how they are de-fending their facility, farms from these disease vectors. A plan should be created to ensure the bait stations are being properly checked at least every 48 hours. If they are not properly moni-tored, they are not effective.  

8. equiPment and vehiclesA farm’s biosecurity plan should in-

clude procedures for cleaning, dis-infection or restriction of sharing equipment. Vehicle access and traf-

fic patterns should be defined in the biosecurity plan, what they have to do

before entering and leaving, how they can en-ter and leave. Disease can travel on the farm through vehicles, so some form of barrier must be established. Beyond truck washes and vehi-cle controls, farmers need to consider what kind of barriers to entry they have on their farm to keep unwanted visitors out. A fence or gate is needed, with a no trespassing sign can create a legally effective barrier to entry.

9. mortality disPosalDead poultry should be collected dai-

ly, stored and disposed of in a man-ner that does not attract wild birds, rodents, insects and other animals

and minimizes the potential for cross contamination from other facilities.

Dead bird disposal is recommended to be on-site, needs to be considered as part of disease control. Staff must be trained on an established mortality disposal procedure. Everything should be dis-

posed of so that disease is not spread further, and it must not violate the sanctity of clean areas.

10. manure and litter management

Manure and spent litter should be removed, stored and disposed of in a manner that prevents exposure of susceptible poultry to disease, and

being disposed of in accordance with local laws. On-site litter and manure

storage should limit the attraction of wild birds, rodents, insects and other animals. In addition, inform others in the areas about the litter dis-posal process and what diseases it could pos-sibly contain.

11. rePlacement PoultryReplacement poultry should come

from disease free, health-monitored flocks and should be transported in equipment and vehicles that are

regularly cleaned, disinfected and inspected.

12. Water suPPliesDrinking water and water used for

evaporative cooling should be sourced from a contained supply such as a well or municipal system. If

drinking water comes from a surface water source, water treatment must

be used to reduce the level of disease agents. If surfaces have been cleaned or flushed with surface water, subsequent disinfection should be employed to prevent disease transmission. If water treatment is not possible, a risk anal-ysis should be performed to determine actions needed to mitigate risks.

13. feed and rePlacement litter

Feed, feed ingredients, bedding and litter should be delivered, stored and maintained in a manner that limits exposure to and contamination by

wild birds, rodents, insects and other animals. Feed spills should be cleaned up and disposed of in a timely fashion. Feed and litter is becom-ing a more important issue as farmers look to reduce their exposure to Salmonella. Further-more, procedures reducing the risk of possible disease exposure from delivery vehicles need to be established.

14. rePorting of elevated morbidity and mortality

Elevation in morbidity and/or mortal-ity above expected levels should be reported as required in the farm’s biosecurity plan and appropriate

actions should be taken to rule out reportable disease agents. Number of

birds per day that have to be ill or dead before you call someone has to be fixed, including the person calling. Mortality can sky rocket inside of three days after exposure to HPAI, which begs the question of how soon farmers are reacting to elevated mortality events. Train farm work-ers and farm managers to recognize elevated mortality and create a mortality threshold for an elevated response.

15. auditingBiosecurity audits should be conducted at least once every two years by manag-ers which is normally con-trolled by officials. Farm managers should be able to fill out audit report spelling out key points in the biosecurity plan like the lines of separation and buffer areas as well

as the crisis re-sponse plan.

Poultry farm and facilities biosecurity PrinciPles to Prevent Poultry disease sPread

biosecuritydo not enter

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