A Never-ending Discussion: Biosecurity in the Poultry Industry

Anyone involved in poultry or livestock production is likely familiar with the term “biosecurity” but may not have a great understanding of what it truly is, how to implement best biosecurity practices, and/or why it is so important. Biosecurity is everything that we do to reduce the risk of introducing disease into a flock or herd. This includes conceptual, structural, and operational components that must be adhered to daily. Because of the lack of approved and effective therapeutics for use in poultry species, for better or worse we are forced to focus on prevention and control of disease, of which our greatest tool is biosecurity. Lack of biosecurity can have severe consequences for the industry and our food supply, as has been observed over the last few years with outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Although we typically associate this topic with the commercial industry, it is also applicable to small/backyard flocks. With the growing interest in local food sources, there has been a concurrent growing interest in small and backyard flocks. Many new small or backyard flock owners have very little background knowledge of poultry or biosecurity. However, excellent biosecurity is still a necessity for a healthy and productive flock. Veterinarians working with poultry producers, whether they are large-scale commercial or small-scale backyard, should have a working knowledge of biosecurity and be able to provide recommendations and tools to clients that help optimize poultry health and welfare. As such, this talk will define biosecurity in more detail, discuss “gold standard” recommendations, and provide some tools and methods that veterinarians can take to their poultry clients to implement and/or improve biosecurity.