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Biosecurity for Canadian Dairy Farms - Producer Planning Guide
Appendix 2: Risk Assessment Tool

This page is part of the Guidance Document Repository (GDR).

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Using the Biosecurity Risk Assessment Tool

The Biosecurity Assessment Tool is based on Biosecurity for Canadian Dairy Farms: National Standard and designed for use by producers working with their herd veterinarian. The questions posed in this document pertain to biosecurity practices for all types of dairy production operations, and are intended to be used in developing an assessment of a farm's biosecurity at any point in time. There may be additional risk factors that are important for each individual farm, and further review of the biosecurity best practices provided in the Producer Planning Guide will assist with a more in-depth risk assessment.

The tool is designed to be used to identify biosecurity risk areas and lead to a focused discussion on the risk practices on the farm with a herd veterinarian. There may be risks that the producer chooses to accept and those that can be mitigated by changes in practices on the farm.

Farm Details

Name of Farm:

Date of Assessment:

Owner:

Address:

Livestock type and numbers:

Biosecurity Assessment

To complete this assessment, check the appropriate boxes as they relate best to your dairy operation. If a question does not apply to your farm please select "not applicable" and continue with the assessment. After completing the exercise, review the areas that require additional efforts and then refer to the relevant sections in the Producer Planning Guide for recommended biosecurity best practices.

Section 1: Animal health management
Always Sometimes Never Not Applicable
1-2 Does your livestock operation have a relationship with a herd veterinarian? Box Box Box Box
1-3 Does your livestock operation have an Animal Health Management Plan? Box Box Box Box
1-4 Does your livestock operation have and follow a veterinarian-approved vaccination program against specific diseases of concern?
Current list of diseases of concern:
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Box Box Box Box
1-5 Does your livestock operation perform post-mortems for unexplained deaths to monitor disease? Box Box Box Box
1-6 Does your livestock operation monitor the ongoing health status of cattle on a regular basis? Box Box Box Box
1-7 Does your livestock operation keep lifetime animal health records for individual animals that include vaccination details, diseases, and treatments? Box Box Box Box
1-8 Does your livestock operation pass animal health records along when animals are sold or moved? Box Box Box Box
1-9 Does your livestock operation take measures to protect the feed or water supply from contamination by manure, rodents, pets or wildlife? Box Box Box Box
1-10 Does your livestock operation test drinking water for bacterial contamination? Box Box Box Box
1-11 Does your livestock operation purchase feed from suppliers with demonstrated good production practices? Box Box Box Box
1-12 Does your livestock operation keep feed records on the source and dates of delivery? Box Box Box Box
1-13 Does your livestock operation store feed in an area that prevents contamination (e.g. by urine, feces etc.)? Box Box Box Box
1-14 Does your livestock operation group animals by susceptibility to disease (e.g. calves) and maintain separation between groups? Box Box Box Box
Section 2: Animal additions and movement
Always Sometimes Never Not Applicable
2-1 Does your livestock operation operate a closed herd? Box Box Box Box
2-1 I. If not, do you limit number of additions to the herd (i.e. only when necessary and with advance planning) Box Box Box Box
2-1 II. If not, do you purchase replacement animals from herd with known health status? Box Box Box Box
2-1 III. If not, do you source animals directly from the herd of origin? Box Box Box Box
2-1 IV. If not, do you know the animal health practices of all suppliers? Box Box Box Box
2-1 V. If not, do you test replacement animals for specific diseases of concern? Box Box Box Box
2-1 VI. If not, do you isolate replacement animals for 14 to 30 days? Box Box Box Box
2-1 VII. If not, do you transfer information including animal health records for all new animals? Box Box Box Box
2-2 I. Does your livestock operation isolate new additions to the herd? Box Box Box Box
2-2 II. Does your livestock operation isolate new animals from different sites separately until their health status is known? Box Box Box Box
2-2 III. Does your livestock operation isolate animals that return after leaving the farm? Box Box Box Box
2-2 IV. Does your livestock operation isolate clinically sick animals? Box Box Box Box
2-3 Does your livestock operation collect and keep information on individual animals? Box Box Box Box
2-3 I. Does the information include where each animal was born? Box Box Box Box
2-3 II. Does the information include where each animal was raised? Box Box Box Box
2-3 III. Does the information include the animal's movement since birth? Box Box Box Box
2-3 IV. Does the information include the animal's vaccination and disease history? Box Box Box Box
2-4 Does your livestock operation have and follow a movement plan (e.g. work with animals from youngest to oldest, healthy to sick) if practical? Box Box Box Box
2-4 If not, are other precautions taken? Box Box Box Box
2-5 Prevent direct contact between animals of different disease status and indirect contact through manure or other excretions? Box Box Box Box
Section 3: Premises' and sanitation management
Always Sometimes Never Not Applicable
3-1 Does your livestock operation have a Restricted Access Zone (RAZ) and Controlled Access Zone (CAZ)? Box Box Box Box
3-2 Does your livestock operation prevent animals from having fence-line contact with livestock from other farms (i.e. provide a buffer zone that allows for a space)? Box Box Box Box
3-3 Does your livestock operation have written instructions for cleaning and disinfecting different types of equipment? Box Box Box Box
3-4 Does your livestock operation have written sanitation and disinfection procedures and schedules for all animal holding areas/facilities from which pathogens could spread? Box Box Box Box
3-5 Does your livestock operation have appropriate and effective cleaning and disinfection materials available for use? Box Box Box Box
3-6 Does your livestock operation ensure that vehicles and equipment that circulate into or across zones are cleaned when they arrive or before crossing zone boundaries? Box Box Box Box
3-7 Does your livestock operation disinfect equipment (livestock related) between uses? Box Box Box Box
3-8 Does your livestock operation practice sanitation to minimize contamination of livestock waterers by manure and urine? Box Box Box Box
3-9 Does your livestock operation have specific cleaning and sanitizing protocols for higher-risk practices (e.g. AI or treatment of sick animals)? Box Box Box Box
3-10 Does your livestock operation keep buildings and facilities well maintained and in good repair? Box Box Box Box
3-11 Does your livestock operation have walls, ceilings and facility parts that are easy to clean and disinfect? Box Box Box Box
3-12 Does your livestock operation remove and renew bedding on a regular schedule and dispose of used bedding so it does not contaminate animals, water sources and facilities? Box Box Box Box
3-13 Does your livestock operation scrape manure from alleyways on a regular schedule? Box Box Box Box
3-14 Does your livestock operation dispose of manure on the farm by spreading, storing and/or composting it in a way that prevents drifting, leaching and potential contamination of other areas? Box Box Box Box
3-15 Does your livestock operation have a deadstock disposal protocol that ensures dead stock is removed from animal housing quickly so that no other livestock have contact with the carcass? Box Box Box Box
3-15 Does your livestock operation have a deadstock disposal protocol that defines the pickup protocol for deadstock services? Box Box Box Box
3-15 Does your livestock operation have a deadstock disposal protocol that disposes of deadstock by burying, composting or pickup by a deadstock disposal service? Box Box Box Box
3-16 Does your livestock operation use equipment for a single purpose only (i.e. do not scrape manure and feed with the same shovel)? Box Box Box Box
3-17 Does your livestock operation avoid using equipment that is used on other farms (borrowing, lending, custom operators)? Box Box Box Box
3-18 Does your livestock operation have a pest control program (insects, rodents, wildlife, weeds)? Box Box Box Box
Section 4: Personnel, visitors, vehicles and equipment
Always Sometimes Never Not Applicable
4-1 Does your livestock operation prohibit visitors from entering the farm buildings without permission? Box Box Box Box
4-2 Does your livestock operation post biosecurity signage? Box Box Box Box
4-3 Does your livestock operation have a written copy of the farm's biosecurity protocol(s) with specific requirements for entry into controlled access zones and restricted access zones? Box Box Box Box
4-4 Does your livestock operation advise visitors and service providers of your biosecurity practices? Box Box Box Box
4-5 Does your livestock operation have a visitor log to record all people who enter the farm? Box Box Box Box
4-6 Does your livestock operation prevent international visitors from visiting the livestock within five days of arrival? Box Box Box Box
4-7 Does your livestock operation inquire about recent animal contact by visitors? Box Box Box Box
4-8 Does your livestock operation require everyone working with the herd to wear clean coveralls and footwear dedicated only for use in the animal holding facilities? Box Box Box Box
4-9 Does your livestock operation require everyone working with the herd to change coveralls when moving between different animal groups, including isolation areas? Box Box Box Box
4-10 Does your livestock operation require everyone working with the herd to disinfect or change footwear when moving between different animal groups? Box Box Box Box
4-11 Does your livestock operation require visitors and farm service providers to wear clean coveralls and boots or plastic booties? Box Box Box Box
4-12 Does your livestock operation require truck drivers to stay in their cab while loading or unloading? Box Box Box Box
4-13 Does your livestock operation have a designated, signed parking area for visitors and farm service workers that is away from the barn, animal facilities, and routes travelled by animals and/or mobile farm equipment? Box Box Box Box
4-14 Does your livestock operation ensure that vehicles that must approach animals or animal housing areas (e.g. milk trucks or feed trucks) have specified routes to follow? Box Box Box Box

Action Plan:

(Consider practices associated with questions that were answered "no" above):

Things that are done well:

Opportunities for improvement:

Date modified: