Biosecurity can sometimes feel like a long list of measures to put in place and maintain. But as the biosecurity masterclass webinar made clear recently, effective biosecurity is about much more than ticking boxes. It is about understanding where the risks are on your farm, whether your current measures are actually working, and making practical changes that fit the way your farm operates.
During the masterclass, Livetec’s experts Jack Hughes, Dr Paul Talling and Kaluba Chikonde shared practical advice on how producers can take a closer look at their biosecurity, alongside how tools such as eBAS, our free biosecurity assessment tool can help turn assessment into action.
Here are five key takeaways from the session.
1. Biosecurity needs to work for your farm
There is no single biosecurity approach that works for every farm.
Jack highlighted that effective biosecurity needs to be tailored to the individual site, taking into account how the farm operates and the people who work on it. Rather than simply asking whether a measure is in place, it is important to understand why it is there, how it works and whether it is being used effectively.
That means looking beyond the obvious measures and considering the farm as it actually operates day to day, from the perimeter and access points through to individual sheds, intermediate areas and anterooms.
As Jack explained, biosecurity should not be a tick box exercise.
Practical takeaway: Take a fresh look at your biosecurity measures and ask whether they genuinely work for the way your farm operates and the people using them. A measure being in place does not necessarily mean it is working effectively. Can we give an example
2. Prioritise the risks closest to the birds
It is not always realistic to address every biosecurity vulnerability at the same time. Paul offered a straightforward way to think about prioritisation: start with the bird and work outwards.
If there are multiple areas requiring attention, focus first on the risks closest to the birds, including vermin access, wild or contaminated water and human access.
The principle is simple. Put as many effective barriers as possible between the known sources of disease and the birds.
This is where a structured assessment can be particularly useful. Rather than relying on assumptions about how good your biosecurity is, an assessment can highlight where those barriers may be weaker than expected and help you identify where action is needed first.
Practical takeaway: If you have several areas to improve, do not try to tackle everything at once. Work from the bird outwards and prioritise the risks that could provide the most direct route for disease to reach your birds.
3. Familiarity can make risks harder to see
One of the biggest challenges with biosecurity is that the things we see every day can become the things we stop noticing.
Jack discussed how familiarity and routine can create blind spots. If a practice has been followed for years without an outbreak occurring, it can be easy to assume that it is working, even when there may be opportunities to improve it.
This is why regularly stepping back and reassessing the farm is so important.
Bringing staff into the process can also help. Different people see different things, and a fresh pair of eyes can identify risks that have become part of the background.
The aim is not to find fault. It is to ask whether something could be done differently and whether that could reduce the risk.
Practical takeaway: Ask someone who works differently from you to walk through your biosecurity measures. A fresh perspective can help identify the small risks that have become easy to overlook.
4. Small changes in behaviour can make a real difference
Biosecurity does not always require a major investment or a completely new process.
Paul shared a practical example around changing overalls. Wearing overalls outside wellies, rather than tucking them inside, can make removing them safer and reduce the potential for contamination to be transferred.
It is a small behavioural change, but it illustrates a bigger point: good biosecurity needs to be practical enough for people to follow consistently.
The same applies to processes such as foot dips and wheel washes. Equipment and procedures only work when they are used correctly. For example, boots need to be cleaned before disinfecting, and disinfectant needs to be used at the correct rate.
The best biosecurity measures are those that become part of normal farm routines rather than an additional burden.
Practical takeaway: Look for simple behavioural changes that make your existing biosecurity measures easier and safer to follow. The most effective process is one that people can consistently carry out as part of their normal routine.
5. Use your assessment as a baseline for action
Kaluba highlighted the value of having a clear baseline. A structured assessment gives you a snapshot of where your farm is today, showing both strengths and areas where improvements may be needed. From there, you can make decisions based on evidence rather than simply addressing issues at random.
This is where eBAS can play a useful role. Available through the Livestock Protect app, eBAS is designed to assess biosecurity at shed level and provide recommendations based on the information entered. It can give you a single picture of the farm, highlight areas of vulnerabilities and help turn assessment data into practical next steps.
The assessment does not have to stop at the first score. Repeating it over time provides a way to see whether changes and investment have actually made a difference.
Practical takeaway: Do not treat a biosecurity assessment as a one-off exercise. Use it as your baseline, take action where it is needed and reassess over time to see what has changed.
From assessment to action
Perhaps the biggest message from the masterclass was that biosecurity is not something to assess once, file away and forget. It should be part of how a farm operates, with regular opportunities to question whether measures are still appropriate, whether people are following them effectively and where the greatest risks currently sit.
Want to take the next step?
Watch the full biosecurity masterclass to hear Jack Hughes, Dr Paul Talling and Kaluba Chikonde explore these practical lessons in more detail, including common blind spots, prioritising risks and making biosecurity work as part of everyday farm routines.
Then, download the Livestock Protect app and use eBAS to assess your farm, identify your key areas of risk and create a clear baseline for action.
