Biosecurity measures are incomplete if there are no specialized officer in charge of monitoring the operation. Poultry farms and farm animals are prone to disease invasion except when the right measures are not only put in place but also monitored by officer(s).

1. Poultry Biosecurity
Officer
By
Hakeem IBRAHIM

2. Introduction
 Farm owners and workers responsibilities in preventing
or eradicating diseases in farm animals on farms
include:
Careful selection when stocking/restocking,
Practicing good biosecurity,
Featuring biosecurity officer(s),
Readiness to apply measures aimed at
controlling specific diseases, should they be
present, and
Readiness to add more to our ideas and
knowledge in the field of biosecurity.

3. What is Biosecurity?
 Biosecurity: means ‘safe life’ through good
cleanliness. Washing hands after handling
livestock. Disinfecting farm items before and
after visiting pen houses, or other farms, etc.
This:
Addresses measures that should be taken to
keep any “disease pathogens” from a farm.
Reduces the transmission of disease pathogens
from or to neighboring houses/farms.
Reduces the risk of pathogens from forming.
Prevents the spread of diseases from one flock
to another.

4. What are Disease Pathogens?
Disease Pathogens are:
Bacteria-organisms that cause infections.
Virus-organisms that are microscopic and
replicate within the cell of living hosts.
Fungi-organisms that live and grow through
absorbing organic matter.
Parasites-organisms that live on the host to
take nutrients to survive.

5. Importance of Biosecurity
Practicing good biosecurity is
particularly important because of the
following:
Offering peace of mind,
Healthy stock,
Viable businesses, and
keeps new diseases away from animals.

6. Key Biosecurity Measures
 Increase where possible:
 Clean drinking water and food, and prevent contamination
by wild birds, rats and other animals.
 Cleansing and disinfecting protective clothing, footwear,
equipment, vehicles before and after contact/visit.
 Reduce where possible:
 People, vehicles/equipment, and wild animals movement
or contact to farm and with farm animals.
 Contamination with manure, slurry (water with animal
waste) and other products that could carry diseases.

8. Needs for Biosecurity Officer
 Biosecurity experts say:
 All poultry farms’ biosecurity plans should have a
biosecurity officer, line of separation and a perimeter
buffer area.
 The success of any biosecurity program is in the program
and the biosecurity officer follow up
 Biosecurity practices alone cannot stop introduction and
spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) without
biosecurity officer thorough supervision & monitoring.
 Analysis of the avian flu outbreak provides biosecurity
officers with some guidance on where to focus their
biosecurity efforts.

9. Biosecurity Officer
 Biosecurity officer should:
 Be a visiting or farm experienced staff, veterinarian, or
should consult with one.
 Be responsible for biosecurity plan and training of all farm
personnel and visitors who enter the farm.
 Ensure compliance with biosecurity protocols and take
corrective actions as needed.
 Adapt plans and procedures to address changing risks.
 Ensure that farm employees, contract crews, truck drivers
and service personnel are trained on site-specific biosecurity
standard operating procedures.

10. Words of Advice
 We should all cooperate and believe that:
Actions speak louder than words.
Without continuous reinforcement to follow the
specified procedures, employees will take least
resistance and do what is easiest.
Compliance on some simple biosecurity
procedures can be less when ‘you & I’ do not
reinforce the importance of compliance.
Everyone must follow biosecurity procedures,
even the company president.

11. Message of Appreciation
The precious time you
spent here was a
compliment to
everyone in this farm.
We anticipate your
cooperation on
BIOSECURITY.
God Bless you all!