Feds develop biosecurity standard to protect dairy herd health

Ottawa, Ont. – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has introduced a new national biosecurity standard designed to help protect the health of dairy herds.

The Biosecurity for Canadian Dairy Farms National Standard is a series of management practices to assist dairy farmers in minimizing the risk and spread of disease in their operations. It is voluntary, and is designed to build on and/or improve existing on-farm biosecurity practices by offering objectives and measurable targets for dairy farms of all sizes.

The new standard includes four key control areas:

• Animal health management;
• Animal additions and movement;
• Premises management and sanitation; and
• Personnel, visitors, vehicles, and equipment;

The initiative was developed through a partnership between the Dairy Farmers of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in collaboration with producers and provincial governments.

“The biosecurity standard will be a tool for all proactive farmers who want to bring animal health to a superior level,” says Dairy Farmers of Canada president Wally Smith. “It complements standards we already have for on-farm food safety in the Canadian Quality Milk program, and other efforts dairy farmers make to constantly improve their farm operations.”