Commercial Poultry Biosecurity
Introduction
The term "biosecurity" refers to a set of management and physical measures designed to reduce the risk of introduction, establishment and spread of animal diseases, infections or infestations to, from and within an animal population. An overall set of biosecurity management practices uses a combination of physical barriers (things) and directed actions (people) in a specific way that should prevent the introduction of, or limit the spread of, infectious disease causing agents (bacteria & viruses) into a group of susceptible poultry. High biosecurity risks are an industry-wide concern.
Disease risk cannot be completely eliminated from a poultry premises. Well before a disease outbreak event, premises management personnel, in consultation with a veterinarian, should conduct a biosecurity risk assessment of all facilities they manage and the biosecurity practices at each location. It is important to evaluate the level of risk, and then determine measures needed to address and improve the risk areas of concern, in advance of a possible avian disease outbreak.
Biosecurity Videos
Resources
CDFA
Poultry Facility Biosecurity Risk Assessment Guide
This Guide allows the producer or farm manager the opportunity to assess their current level of on-farm biosecurity. Their answers will provide them with an idea of where there are areas of weakness that require attention or practices that fall below current industry standards. Each response is rated as Minimal Biosecurity Risk, Medium Biosecurity Risk, or High Biosecurity Risk.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Preparedness Tools
Center for Food Security & Public Health
Poultry Biosecurity Training Materials
This site offers educational materials (in English and Spanish*) for the poultry industry to support implementation of biosecurity recommendations identified in the Checklist for Self-Assessment of Implementing Poultry Biosecurity. (Updated July 2018!) These materials reflect the items included in Standard E-Biosecurity Principles within the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Official Program Standards. The Standard E-Biosecurity Principles apply to flocks that participate in the NPIP, which include, but are not limited to, broilers, turkeys, egg layers, commercial waterfowl, and upland gamebirds, that meet specified flock size requirements. The biosecurity principles in this checklist can also apply to flocks of other sizes and management types.
USDA
This checklist provides all segments of industry with a sound start in controlling the spread of the HPAI virus.
FAD PReP SOP 9. Biosecurity (Nov. 2013)
The primary purpose of this FAD PReP SOP is to provide operational guidance to those responding to a foreign animal disease outbreak.
FAD PReP/NAHEMS Guidelines: Biosecurity (2013)
The primary purpose of this FAD PReP/NAHEMS Guideline is to provide guidance to those responding to a foreign animal disease outbreak.
Overview of the Secure Food Supply (SFS) Plans
Goals of the Secure Food Supply Projects:
- Avoid interruptions in animal/animal product movement to commercial processing from farms with no evidence of infection during an FAD outbreak;
- Provide a continuous supply of safe and wholesome food to consumers; and
- Maintain business continuity for producers, transporters, and food processors through response planning.
The Secure Broiler Supply (SBS) Plan
Provides guidance for moving hatching eggs and broiler industry products within, out of, and into an HPAI Control Area. Like the other SFS Plans, the SBS Plan includes surveillance guidelines (including diagnostics, mortality production parameters, and sampling), risk assessments, biosecurity measures, and permit guidance. Â Product-specific guidance is provided for hatching eggs, day-old chicks, broilers to market, and other broiler industry products.
The Secure Egg Supply (SES) Plan
The SES Plan is based on current research and practice in fields including virology, flock husbandry, epidemiology, and risk-assessment. The SES Plan uses science- and risk-based preparedness and response components to provide guidance on permitting the movement of egg industry products from a Control Area during a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak.
The Secure Turkey Supply (STS) Plan
The STS plan was developed to minimize the exposure and transmission of HPAI during an outbreak, and to give consumers a high degree of confidence that turkeys available for consumption are free of HPAI virus.
Epidemiologic and Other Analyses of HPAI-Affected Poultry Flocks (July 2022 Interim
For the past several months, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has conducted epidemiological investigations and other studies with the goal of identifying transmission pathways of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This report includes updates to the report released by APHIS on June 5, 2015.
With the data from both reports, APHIS concludes that there is not substantial or significant enough evidence to point to a specific pathway or pathways for the current spread of the virus. This edition of the report includes data on the characteristics and biosecurity measures of infected turkey farms and a case control study to compare these measures between infected and non-infected farms. Also included are samples of wildlife near affected and unaffected farms.
HPAI: Improving Biosecurity with Wildlife Management Practices
Provides management practices that can help prevent wild birds and other wildlife from coming into direct contact with poultry, as well as wild bird fecal material and secretions from being accidentally transported on boots, equipment, and food to your birds.
Biosecurity Dos and Donts (Appendix A)
The primary purpose of this FAD PReP/NAHEMS Guideline appendix is to provide guidance to those responding to a foreign animal disease outbreak.
U.S. Poultry & Egg Association
Biosecurity Educational Materials
These documents will assist the poultry industry in implementing effective biosecurity practices. USDA collaborated with State, academic, and industry experts to develop the checklist and training materials.
Industry Resources
American Feed Industry Association - Biosecurity Practices for Feed and Ingredient Manufacturing
The purpose of this guidance document is to provide feed and ingredient manufacturers with recommendations that may be used to develop a biosecurity plan to control the potential spread of animal diseases through feed and feed ingredients.
British Columbia
BC Poultry Biosecurity Reference Guide
This Reference Guide has been developed as an information resource to assist poultry producers in developing biosecurity plans for their farming operations.
The Mandatory Standards are collected under four major sections or chapters that group them according to specific elements of biosecurity:
Australia
National Farm Biosecurity Manual for PoultryProduction
The purpose of the manual is to establish a minimum set of biosecurity standards, applicable to all poultry producers (including ratites). While the manual was produced with commercial producers in mind, the principles of good biosecurity apply to any poultry or bird-raising operation.
The manual applies to poultry enterprises from the time of delivery of birds, until pick-up, slaughter or disposal of live birds.
National Farm Biosecurity Manual for Chicken Growers
Manual adapted for the commercial chicken meat industry- The present document is an adaptation of the generic poultry manual to reflect the requirements as they apply to the commercial chicken meat industry. Reference to other sectors has been removed and some industry specific arrangements have been reflected in the present text.
This Manual identifies areas of risk common to most broiler farms and appropriate measures to minimize these risks.
National Farm Biosecurity Technical Manual for Egg Production
The present document is an adaptation of the generic poultry manual to reflect the requirements as they apply to the commercial table eggs industry.
From the time of delivery of day old chicks until depopulation of the spent layer hens, including transportation and delivery of point of lay pullets. It also covers the transport and movement of eggs and egg products to other farms, grading and processing establishments.
Australia National Water Biosecurity Manual Poultry Production
This report describes the water sources most commonly used by the Australian poultry industry, and water sanitation systems applicable for use on commercial poultry farms.
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CDFA Animal Health and Food Safety Services,
Animal Health Branch
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: 916-900-5002
Fax: 916-900-5333
Email: ahbfeedback@cdfa.ca.gov
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