Biosecurity practices for animal health: guidance

Separation and isolation

The following points are a basic guide to biosecurity, separation and isolation:

• keep new animals separate from the rest of your herd/stock until your vet is sure they carry no disease. In many cases two to three weeks, depending on the animal, will provide sufficient time for disease to become apparent. In other cases, for example brucellosis, incoming breeding heifers may need to be kept apart from the main herd until they have calved normally, up to a year after purchase
• minimise nose to nose contact with neighbouring stock
• have stock proof boundaries
• check boundaries regularly
• prevent animals from straying onto roads
• if common grazings are used try to isolate incoming stock before turning them onto common grazings
• keep visitors and their vehicles away from livestock
• at the first sign of illness isolate sick animals, with the dam if appropriate, and check all the other animals in the herd/flock etc. Thereafter, handle isolated stock last
• newly born animals are particularly susceptible to disease so make sure that designated calving and lambing areas are regularly cleansed and disinfected