New tool helps cattle producers develop biosecurity plan

Producers have a new tool to help them create biosecurity plans for their cattle operations, a key step in preventing disease outbreaks.

The template for a “daily biosecurity plan” was developed by the Beef Quality Assurance program. Available online from the BQA, it was “designed to be customizable, giving producers flexibility in determining management practices that work best for their cattle operation and covers everything from animal movement to worker training,” according to the announcement.

The template includes several forms and checklists for producers to assess the scope of their plan and outline procedures for employee training, animal movement and handling of animal products from other operations, among other things.

“Whether a cow-calf operation in California, a backgrounder in Mississippi or a feedyard in Kansas, being proactive and developing a written plan ahead of a crisis allows producers to implement and become familiar with biosecurity precautions,” said Kim Brackett, chair of the BQA Advisory Group. “Even more importantly, producers will be prepared if a biosecurity threat were to happen.”