Avian influenza has changed the conversation around disease risk on UK poultry farms. Choosing the right poultry biosecurity services is no longer a nice-to-have. It is a critical business decision. From digital self-assessment tools to specialist on-farm reviews, the options can feel overwhelming when you need practical, reliable support.
When you work with the same farm, the same buildings and many of the same procedures every day, familiarity is inevitable.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Good routines are fundamental to effective poultry biosecurity. But familiarity can also make it harder to see where risk has crept in.
A hygiene barrier that worked well when it was first introduced may now be used differently. Equipment may have started moving between areas. A change in staffing or production may have altered established routines. What is written in a biosecurity plan and what happens during a busy working day aren’t always quite the same.
And the disease environment around the farm is changing too.
During the 2025/26 outbreak season, 100 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 were confirmed in poultry and other captive birds across the UK, including 79 in England. (Defra.co.uk)
Avian influenza isn’t the only consideration. Salmonella, pest activity and other disease threats reinforce the need to look at biosecurity as an ongoing process rather than something that is reviewed once and filed away.
So, when is it worth bringing in an external perspective?
An external biosecurity review isn’t about catching people out.
Its value comes from looking at familiar processes from a different perspective.
Someone who isn’t involved in the day-to-day operation can follow movements around the site, question why a particular process happens in a particular way and look at how different elements of biosecurity interact.
They can also help distinguish between a long list of potential improvements and the risks that really need to be prioritised.
That’s an important distinction.
Good biosecurity isn’t about trying to change everything at once. It’s about understanding where the greatest risk exists and where practical action can make the greatest difference.
You don’t need to wait for something to go wrong.
A fresh assessment can be particularly valuable when buildings or production systems change, new people or processes are introduced, disease risk increases locally or you simply haven’t challenged established procedures for some time.
It can also be useful ahead of assurance activity – not simply to prepare for an audit, but as an opportunity to check whether the procedures being documented are working effectively in practice.
And sometimes there doesn’t need to be a trigger.
Biosecurity risks evolve. Periodically asking someone independent to challenge what has become normal can be a useful part of continuous improvement.
An external review doesn’t always have to start with someone arriving on farm.
Digital assessment can provide a useful first step by helping producers establish a baseline and identify areas that may require attention.
Livetec’s eBAS (electronic Biosecurity Assessment System) is free to access through the Livestock Protect mobile app and provides a structured way for poultry producers to assess their current biosecurity risk.
That can help answer an important first question:
Where should we be looking more closely?
For some farms, the findings may lead to straightforward improvements that the team can make themselves.
For others, they may highlight areas where a face-to-face review would add value.
An experienced specialist walking the farm can see how people, vehicles and equipment actually move, how hygiene procedures work during normal operations and where infrastructure or behaviours may be creating risks that aren’t obvious on paper.
The two approaches therefore aren’t competing alternatives.
Digital assessment can establish the baseline. An experienced pair of eyes can help you understand what sits behind it.
Whatever form a biosecurity review takes, the assessment itself isn’t really the end product.
The value comes from what happens next.
Which risks need addressing first? Which changes are realistic? Do procedures need to change? Would training help? Is further investigation required? And how will you know whether the changes have actually reduced risk?
At Livetec, we consider this across four connected areas: Prediction, Planning, Preparedness and Prevention.
That means looking not only at the preventative controls operating today, but at the threats around the business, the plans in place should circumstances change and whether people and resources are genuinely prepared to respond.
It turns biosecurity from a checklist into something much more useful: an active process for managing risk.
The best time to identify a weakness is before it becomes important.
Whether that’s through a self-assessment, a conversation with your vet or an independent on-farm review, periodically challenging established practices can help prevent familiarity from becoming complacency.
And it doesn’t necessarily require a major investment to get started.
Livetec’s eBAS digital biosecurity assessment is free to use, giving poultry producers a practical way to establish their current position and identify areas they may want to explore further.
For a deeper look at the different options available – and what to consider when choosing external support – read our Guide to Poultry Biosecurity Services for UK Poultry Producers.