Epidemiological aspects of establishing and operating animal production units

Question 1

Aspects of site selection

Answer 1

• Features of the terrain
• Keeping protecting distances
• Electric and water supply

Question 2

Features of the terrain

Answer 2

• best on flatland or on field sloping gently towards south
• dangerous: high water table, cold foggy valleys, strong wind, hilltops
• orientation: wind direction, no heat loss
• wind shielding forest: wind protection, dust filter
• prevailing wind direction: other farms, dangerous establishments, different aged animals

Question 3

Keeping protecting distances

Answer 3

• distance from public road and railroad by law: 50-100m
• distance from other establishments
• no absolute security against airborne spreading of pathogens
• keep as much distance as possible

Question 4

Electric and water supply

Answer 4

• electric supply from two different sources

- planning of water supply: quantity, quality

Question 5

Isolation (fencing)

Answer 5

• protect premises: illegal person, stray animals
• control vehicle, public, animal transport
• outside the fences: wells, handling area, facilities for energy and water supply
• inside: disinfection facilities, social administration building, silos, loading facilities, building for emergency slaughter and autopsy, etc.
• visitors: limited, with permission

Question 6

Public transport

Answer 6

◦ Black/white system
◦ changing of clothes
◦ taking shower
◦ At least hand and shoe disinfection single use shoe cover/clothing
◦ medical certificate for tuberculosis and salmonellosis
◦ restriction for taking food of home origin
◦ Workers should keep the same species at home
◦ no contact with the same species within 3days

Question 7

Traffic of vehicles

Answer 7

• internal and external traffic separated: disinfection before entering, only selected vehicles, short time
• wheel disinfection: 2-3% sodium hypochloride
• spraying vehicles and personals with disinfectants at the gate
• entering of waste collecting/transporting is forbidden
• white roads: new, unused materials
• black roads: used materials

Question 8

Animal transport

Answer 8

• new farms can be filled up with animals
• transport of replacement animals to dairy farms
• transport of pig for breeding replacement to swine farms
• buying-in rams and ewes to existent sheep flocks
• poultry farms

Question 9

New farms

Answer 9

• with permission of the competent veterinary authority
• with animals bought in from livestock production units, free from all eradicated or being eradicated diseases by nation-wide eradication programme
• with animals with favorable certificate by the diagnostic tests prescribed by the competent veterinary authority
• with animals from the same farm, (preferably) of the same age and breed

Question 10

Transport of replacement animals to dairy cattle farms

Answer 10

• free from TB, brucellosis, leucosis, proven by individual certificate based on lab test, prescribed by competent vet authority
• dairy herds free from IBR can buy in replacements only from IBR free herds, certificate needed

Question 11

Transport of pigs for breeding replacement to swine farms

Answer 11

• gilts and boars for breeding replacement

- serologically free from Aujeszky- disease, brucellosis, leptospirosis and PRRS

Question 12

Buying-in rams and ewes to existent sheep flocks

Answer 12

• negative from Maedi/Visna, Brucella ovis,

B. melitensis and sarcoptic mange infection

Question 13

Poultry farms

Answer 13

• day old chicken: hatched from eggs originating from the same farm and hatched in the same hatchery
• the farm at the time of submitting eggs to hatcheries: free from infectious diseases, available approved vaccination program infos
• modern farms: same species, breed and age. Breeding and commercial flocks must be separated

Question 14

Quarantine

Answer 14

• prior to introduction of replacements
• observe of notifiable diseases
• treat diseases due to transport stress
• implement diagnostics, therapeutic and prophylactic measures

Question 15

Basic principles of quarantining

Answer 15

• outside of the unit with separate utensils and attendant(s)
• daily control by the head of the unit
• weekly visit by the vet or at request
• acclimatization to the management routine of the host unit

Question 16

Plan for quarantining of food animal operations

Answer 16

• animals are separeted from herd
• different tools
• different workers, or they start with the normal herd
• marked place
• animals should be examined, or vaxxed if necessary

Question 17

Hygiene of operation

Answer 17

• infectious establishments in the animal operations
• operation of bio-security
• operation of animal farms is liable to authorisation by the competent veterinary authority
• large farm vs small farm

Question 18

Infectious establishments in the animal operations

Answer 18

• dissection room
• store room for cadavers, storing in refrigerated compartment
• on the spot incinerators
• store room or container tightly closed
• sewage should be disinfected
• in the line of the fence
• building is fit for disinfection
• autopsy on daily basis
• collection and ransfer of cadavers to rendering plants

Question 19

Operation of bio-security

Answer 19

-◦continuous checking the presence and operation of
bio-security establishments
◦ continuing education of farmers and workers of animal premises importance of setting good example by the
veterinarian

Question 20

Autharisation of operation of animal farms

Answer 20

◦ existence and operation of bio-security facilities is controlled by the experts of competent veterinary authority ◦ the experts may use check lists in the process of authorisation

Question 21

Large farm vs small farm

Answer 21

• stricter rules in case of large farms: epidemiological and animal hygiene demands, protocols
• small farms: dressing room, toilet, cleaning and disinfection is possible, preparations for epidemiological crisis