We are pleased to be featured in the latest edition of Best of British, with a dedicated feature exploring one of the most important issues facing poultry producers today: protecting your flock, your business and yourself from the impact of disease.
The feature, published through Farming UK, looks at our approach to biosecurity and disease preparedness, drawing on our 15 years of practical experience working alongside livestock businesses.
Biosecurity is about more than preventing disease
For poultry producers, the disease landscape continues to present significant challenges. Avian influenza, Salmonella and Newcastle disease are all well documented risks, making effective biosecurity and contingency planning essential parts of protecting a farm business.
At Livetec, our approach is built around four key pillars:
- Prediction
- Planning
- Preparedness
- Prevention
Together, these provide a practical framework for understanding disease risk and taking action to reduce it.
Prediction
Understanding disease pressure is an important first step. Disease risk can change according to the season, local geography, wild bird movements, other farming activity and movements of people between holdings.
Our Livestock Protect app brings together information on disease pressure, including wild bird findings and avian influenza outbreaks, helping producers understand what is happening around them and consider how this may affect their own risk.
Planning
Once disease pressure is understood, the next step is identifying where a farm may be vulnerable. Access to birds, access to poultry buildings and access to the wider site all need to be considered. Staff, visitors, equipment, vehicles, vermin, wild birds and dirty water can all present potential pathways for disease to enter a site.
Our electronic Biosecurity Assessment Tool, eBAS, gives poultry producers the opportunity to undertake a detailed review of their biosecurity provision, identify vulnerabilities and receive practical advice on areas that may need attention.
The assessment can also provide a useful record of improvements over time.
Preparedness
Good planning needs to be supported by preparedness. That means having the right systems and resources in place but also making sure that the people working on the farm understand their responsibilities. Training is a key part of this. We provide both online and face to face training designed to help livestock businesses understand current and evolving disease risks and give teams the knowledge and confidence they need to implement effective biosecurity measures.
Preparedness also means having a clear contingency plan.
Our Emergency Response Plan (ERP) tool helps producers prepare for a suspected notifiable disease outbreak, providing a step-by-step guide and keeping critical information readily available when time is of the essence.
Prevention
The final pillar is prevention. Strong structural biosecurity is important, but how those systems are used and maintained is equally critical. Clear entry points, secure buildings, effective barrier systems, appropriate site layouts and accurate visitor records can all help reduce the risk of disease incursion. However, these measures need to be practical, understood and consistently followed. This is where good training, straightforward procedures and regular monitoring can make a real difference.
Small details can make a big difference
One of the key messages highlighted in our Best of British feature is that disease outbreaks are not necessarily the result of one major breakdown in biosecurity.
Often, it can be the small weaknesses in everyday routines that create opportunities for disease to enter.
That is why regularly reviewing biosecurity practices is so important.
- Are access controls still being followed?
- Are hygiene measures being maintained?
- Are visitors following the correct procedures?
- Are staff confident about what is expected of them?
- Are contingency plans up to date?
These are simple questions but asking them regularly can help identify areas for improvement before they become a bigger problem.
Biosecurity is about people too
Protecting livestock is at the heart of what we do, but effective biosecurity also protects the people and businesses behind the animals. Disease outbreaks can have significant financial and emotional consequences for producers. When an outbreak occurs, important decisions may need to be made quickly, often under considerable pressure.
Being prepared can help reduce that pressure. Having clear procedures, trained teams and the right information available means that people are better equipped to respond when it matters most.
Read the full feature
The full feature explores our four pillars in more detail, alongside insights from industry experts and producers who have experienced the importance of effective preparation first hand.
Read the full feature here or get in touch today to talk to one of our biosecurity specialists.
