The Biosecurity Trends section looks at the latest events, research and findings, and biosecurity trends.

In this issue we take a look at:

• The biosecurity risks at play in the UK in the recent foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak
• The avian influenza outbreak in the UK and its lessons for Australian livestock producers

UK Foot and mouth outbreak spread by risk factor: transportation

Vehicles have been singled out in the recent UK foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, with authorities concluding muddy tyres on trucks passing farms introduced FMD to cattle.

A government report concluded that broken drainage pipes from laboratories developing FMD vaccines, heavy rain and a lack of biosecurity measures combined to cause the outbreak near laboratories but it was trucks leaving the laboratories and passing nearby farms that were responsible for eight cases of FMD in Surrey.

Live virus is suspected to have entered the drains from a laboratory, with pipes broken by tree roots allowing virus to seep into sub-soil. Heavy rain then brought the virus to the surface where it was picked up by vehicles belonging to a construction firm working at the site.

In the absence of biosecurity measures such as tyre-washing, the vehicles carried the virus along roads by the farms where cattle were later found to be infected.

In light of the UK outbreak, Australia heightened its focus on people entering Australia from the UK, as they, their shoes or other items, could introduce this contagious virus to Australia.

Should this occur, producers with already-established farm biosecurity measures – including washing down and disinfecting vehicles – will be better placed to prevent on-farm disease.

Farm workers spread disease: UK bird flu outbreak

The outbreak of avian influenza on a poultry farm in Suffolk north eastern England in November has highlighted the very real risks to the health of animals posed by farm workers and people movement between properties.

All 6500 free range turkeys, duck and geese on the farm were culled when turkey deaths were found to be due to H5N1 avian influenza.

As the farm is small, a number of staff also work on associated poultry farms and regularly travel between properties. For this reason, precautionary culls of 22,000 free range turkeys were conducted at three other farms, which, although outside the 10km surveillance zone, were considered to be at risk because of the movement of people. A further 5500 turkeys were slaughtered on a farm in the 3km protection zone on suspicion of avian influenza.

Avian influenza was found in post-mortem tests of birds on one of these farms, confirming how easily disease can spread even before signs of disease are apparent.

While the way the disease originally entered the UK is still unknown, the role of people in contributing to its spread – and the importance of good record keeping to control disease and stop further transmission – has been a key lesson.

(Sources: www.defra.org.co.uk; The Telegraph)