Biosecurity
30 Jul 2025
Biosecurity has recently been the buzz word with the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HAPI) H5N1 strain knocking on New Zealand’s back door and the detection of another highly pathogenic strain on New Zealand shores late last year. Although HPAI is an important disease, farmers need to protect their flocks equally from “everyday” diseases that can cost them money in the form of low egg numbers, the cost of treatment and even bird deaths. Other diseases, like Salmonella enteritidis can have dire consequences for a farm and even cost a farmer its livelihood.
Many farmers have questions when it comes to biosecurity. What is biosecurity? Where do I start? Is it sustainable? Does it apply to my operation?
What is biosecurity?
Biosecurity is a mindset and an action. You are trying to avoid or limit the introduction of diseases onto your farm, but also between flocks on your farm.
How are diseases introduced and spread on a farm?
To understand how you can limit the introduction and spread of diseases onto your farm, you need to understand how diseases are spread. There are many ways in which diseases spread, and it can be daunting to consider them all individually. It’s easier to categorise them and focus on controlling those specific categories of transmission.
People – some diseases can be carried on the hands, clothing and especially shoes of farm personnel and visitors.
Vehicles – farm vehicles like quads and tractors, delivery vehicles moving from farm to farm, and visitors’ vehicles can all transfer diseases, even over long distances.
Equipment – any farm equipment, like spades, buckets and wheelbarrows.
Feed – if feed is not sources from a reputable supplier and transported and stored securely it can introduce diseases onto your farm.
Water – especially untreated sources.
Aerosol – a little harder to control, but luckily most diseases either do not spread or do not spread far with aerosols.
Pests – rodents and wild birds jump to mind when pests are mentioned, and they are major concerns for farmers because they can spread disease physically (the germs catch a ride on the fur, feathers or feet), but can also be carriers (have the disease themselves without showing symptoms). Don’t forget other pests like Darkling Beatles, mites and flies that can also spread diseases.
Direct animal-to-animal contact.
Where does biosecurity start?
Biosecurity starts at the farm gate, if you want to avoid or limit the introduction of diseases onto your farm.
Have vehicles clean and wash their wheels before proceeding onto the farm. Not all farms have wheel washes, but a simple system like a water hose is a good starting point.
The next point of control is to draw a boundary where your production area starts. Allow only authorised and necessary people onto the production area. Have visitors leave their vehicles in a designated parking area. Visitors should not have had contact with poultry or have been on poultry farms within the past 24hrs. Ensure that visitors sign in: this informs them of the rules that apply on your farm, and also helps with tracking if a disease were to break out in an area.
Make sure the personnel, contractors and visitors do not carry any diseases onto the farm:
as a minimum, provide them with farm dedicated boots, or a place to clean their shoes and sanitise it or provide disposable footwear covers.
provide clean overalls or disposable coveralls
provide a facility for hand washing or sanitation
secure the production area so that it is protected from access by unauthorised people
Make sure that feed is sourced from a reputable supplier who uses good quality ingredients and tests the feed for Salmonella enteritidis. A good standard to follow is the one set by the New Zealand Feed Manufacturers Association: Code of Practice. Store feed in a secure manner so that rodent and birds don’t have access to it.
Water can become contaminated from wild birds or animals. Check water tanks often, clean them and flush water lines on a regular basis to avoid biofilm formation. It is a good idea to have your water tested at least once a year for quality and contaminants like E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter – especially if a high-risk source like surface water is used.
Any stock must be sourced from a reputable hatchery and rearer. Make sure that they have a biosecurity plan and a flock health schedule, and that they make use of professional veterinary services. Too often birds arrive on farm without the basic vaccinations – these are crucial and non-negotiable. The birds should be free from external parasites like mites, and internal parasites like worms and coccidiosis.
Biosecurity is also about limiting the spread of disease on the farm.
It is inevitable that sometime during the lifetime of a farm, a disease will sneak through. When this happens you want to ensure that it remains as confined as possible. The fewer birds or sheds hit by disease, the less it’ll cost you.
In addition to the above measures, further principles that can limit or prevent the spread to other flocks/ houses are:
dedicated personnel per shed; if this is not possible, provide shed-specific protective clothing (overalls and boots) and sanitise hands before and after entry.
provide dedicated shed boots and another set for the general production areas and ranges.
move from youngest to oldest flocks, or from healthy to sick birds.
do not mix flocks; this includes housing that shares an airspace and is divided down the middle with a non-solid divider.
keep the range and outdoor areas neat and clean: collect and discard dead birds a few times per day, clean up feed spills, try to eliminate stagnant puddles of water etc.
set and check vermin traps often.
maintain litter in a dry and friable state. Don’t allow faeces to build up uncontrolled in the shed.
after depopulation, remove all litter and manure and clean the sheds as thoroughly as possible. Different shed types require different cleaning methods and chemicals to achieve the best outcome.
Everyday biosecurity is sustainable and quickly becomes second nature. Apart from creating a lower risk for your business, it also instils pride in personnel and motivates them to take ownership of their work.
It needn’t be expensive, and every farm should be able to set a basic biosecurity program in place. When disease does come knocking at your door, make sure that you are prepared and knock it right back.
At Hatch House, we understand that building a strong biosecurity plan is essential for protecting your flock from both high-profile diseases like HPAI and everyday threats. Our bespoke services, backed by operational poultry experience, are tailored specifically to your farm’s needs, ensuring that every measure works seamlessly with your operations. Additionally, general resources developed by EPF and MPI, along with support from the MPI OnFarms teams, offer free alternatives. While these resources focus primarily on HPAI, they provide an excellent foundation for implementing broader, comprehensive biosecurity measures.
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