Biosecurity for poultry producers

Animal biosecurity is about managing animal health, and the risks and impacts of animal diseases and pest animals.

Infectious diseases on poultry farms can greatly affect the health and productivity of your flock, and food safety pathogens such as Salmonella may increase the risk of food borne illnesses. Implementing biosecurity procedures and practices on poultry farms plays an important role in preventing or minimising the introduction and spread of an infectious disease or food safety pathogen on your property.

Identifying how diseases can enter and move about the property, assessing the risks and putting a plan in place about how to manage biosecurity risks can all help to improve the profitability of your business. Biosecurity practices will help to:

• protect the health and wellbeing of your flock
• improve productivity and performance
• produce a food that is safe for consumers.

This guide outlines the types of biosecurity risks present on poultry farms, how to develop a biosecurity plan for your farm and how to manage sick birds and emergency situations.