| Introduction
Biosecurity is not one thing. It is a collection of management practices aimed at preventing disease-causing organisms from being introduced into a flock. Biosecurity covers a wide range of measures relating to isolation, hygiene and special management procedures. Effective biosecurity precautions reduce the threat of disease in your flock and improve quality and productivity.
Biosecurity is also an attitude. On our farms, we have staff who come into contact with our flock to do their jobs. We cannot watch them every minute of every day. We have to have complete trust that they will follow procedures, even when management staff are not there to watch them. The key to developing this trust is training. |
Our goal is to foster the attitude that defending biosecurity is the responsibility of every employee at Cuddy Farms
Brooder farms are multi-age facilities. This means that different barns will house different flocks. It is important to keep each flock isolated from each other to prevent cross contamination. One of the ways we do this is by changing clothing and washing hands before entering any barn.
Making biosecurity work requires that we always keep the goal in mind. The target is to limit the risk of contamination. Situations will arise that the rules do not cover. Our policy is to err on the side of doing too much, rather than too little. |
Farm staff are required, as a condition of employment, to follow a number of biosecurity precautions. Some of these are:
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not keeping poultry, pigs or pet birds
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limiting all contact with poultry, especially backyard fowl
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not sharing accommodations with anyone who works with poultry, pigs, eggs or poultry processing.
We require all employees to disclose all contact annually when they complete our Biosecurity Disclaimer form.
All farm staff must follow clean-up procedures including:
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showering, in and out of every farm
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changing into or out of company clothing, and
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wiping down carry-in items with a disinfectant cloth when entering or leaving the biosecure zone
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Cuddy Farms employs several other methods to ensure the biosecurity of our product lines. Several of these include;
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Limiting, controlling and tracking visitors to our facilities, and ensuring they follow the same procedures as our employees.
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Limiting and controlling access to the farms to essential vehicles, which are required to have their wheel’s disinfected, as well as any other items being brought into, or removed from the premises.
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Strict maintenance programs to ensure no other animals (wild birds, insects or rodents) can nest in the facility.
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