Quarantine pens reducing risk on Manitoba farms
A properly used quarantine pen can mean the difference between the inconvenience of a sick animal and the disaster of a sick herd on Manitoba cattle farms.
Applications for funding for quarantine pens from Growing Forward 2's Growing Assurance - Food Safety On-Farm program shows that many Manitoba producers are aware of the risk of failing to have a separate area for new or returning cattle, and are taking steps to improve the biosecurity on their farms.
Quarantine best way to prevent infection or disease
Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) extension veterinarian Dr. Wayne Tomlinson says the most dangerous source of virus or bacteria to a group of animals is another animal of the same species. Quarantining a new animal before it enters the herd can reduce the risk of an infection or disease before it spreads to healthy cattle.
"If you bring cattle home from somewhere like an auction where animals from many different farms have been mixing together, there is a risk that those animals might have an infectious disease," he says.
He recommends keeping new animals in quarantine for 28 days and watching for signs of diarrhea or pneumonia. If an animal doesn't show any symptoms of being sick, then it is likely safe to slowly introduce it to the rest of the herd. Producers may also want to do blood tests on new animals in quarantine to rule out additional diseases.
"Quarantining new animals and being careful which ones are introduced to the farm goes a long way in mitigating risk," says Tomlinson. "It is good practice to only accept animals from environments that have equal or higher biosecurity or health standards than those you implement on your farm."
Tomlinson says Manitoba producers are more aware of proper biosecurity measures than they were a decade ago, but that improvement is still needed across the industry. He points out with cattle prices so high right now, it would be a significant financial loss for a producer to lose 10 or 15 per cent of his or her herd from a preventable disease or infection.
Amber Garlinski and her husband own a cattle farm near Grandview, Manitoba and recently received funding from Growing Forward 2 to erect a quarantine pen on their farm.
"Bringing a disease into the herd would be a nightmare," says Garlinski. "Prevention is always top of mind for us."
The new pen will be built across the road from their other cattle with access to water. The livestock kept in the pen will have no contact with the rest of the herd until it is safe.
Funding for quarantine pens available
Juanita Kopp, farm production extension specialist – beef with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD) says that the Growing Forward 2 Growing Assurance program is receiving great interest. They have received approximately 45 applications from producers wishing to build quarantine pens on their farms.
"The number of applications we've received to fund quarantine pens shows that producers are aware of biosecurity risks and working to reduce them," she says.
To find out more about the funding available for quarantine pens and other biosecurity projects on the farm, visit the program page.
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