Protect your livestock from disease with biosecurity

You must practise good biosecurity on your farm at all times. Disease is not always obvious, especially early on, and it can arrive in many ways.

Farm animal diseases mainly spread through new animals arriving, contact with neighbours' stock, shared vehicles, machinery, feed and bedding, people moving between farms, and wildlife, vermin and wild birds getting into buildings, feed or water. Some diseases, such as bluetongue, are spread only by insects or contaminated veterinary equipment. Some can pass to people, so good biosecurity also protects your workers and visitors.

The two most important things are to design your working practices so people, equipment and vehicles enter places where animals are kept as rarely as possible, and to clean and disinfect equipment, vehicles and reusable protective clothing and footwear before and after contact with animals.

Control visitors and vehicles

• avoid unnecessary visits, for example with a post box at the end of your drive
• have a visitor policy and record everyone who enters and leaves the farm
• put up signs directing visitors to the farmhouse or office and asking them not to feed or touch animals
• give visitors' vehicles hard standing away from livestock
• provide pressure washers, brushes, water and disinfectant, and make sure visitors use them
• clean and disinfect vehicles, trailers and any shared or hired equipment before and after use

Use a Defra-approved disinfectant. Train your staff in hygiene and disease security, and make sure nobody wears dirty clothes or boots off the farm, especially to markets, shows or other farms.

Bring in new stock safely

Always know the health status of animals you buy or move. Keep incoming and returning stock apart from the rest of the herd or flock, and use separate equipment and staff or handle them last. Keep isolation buildings near the farm entrance and at least 3 metres from other livestock buildings. An isolation paddock needs at least 3 metres and double fencing between it and other animals.

New arrivals also trigger a standstill on moving animals off your holding.

Keep feed, water and bedding clean

Use mains water where you can and fence off streams and rivers. Keep drinkers above the level of droppings, and clean troughs regularly. Store feed in a clean, dry, covered store that dogs, cats, vermin and wildlife cannot get into, and dispose of old or soiled feed safely. Never feed swill or catering waste: it is banned.

Give housed animals fresh, clean, dry bedding, and dispose of used bedding away from livestock, people and watercourses. Keep buildings in good repair so wildlife cannot get in, and run a pest control programme.

Deal with slurry and fallen stock

Infection can survive in slurry and manure. Keep livestock away from freshly spread slurry, spread it on arable land rather than grazing or silage ground where you can, and avoid hired or shared spreaders. Remove dead animals promptly and keep carcasses away from livestock while they wait for collection.

Make a health plan with your vet

Agree a health plan for your herd or flock with your vet, including how you isolate new or returning stock. Inspect your animals at least daily for signs of disease, and keep your identification and movement records accurate.

Extra rules for poultry and other birds

You must register as a keeper within one month of keeping poultry or other captive birds at any premises, whatever the size of your flock, and update your record every year. Registering means APHA can contact you during a bird flu outbreak.

Wild waterfowl, droppings from infected birds and dirty footwear, clothing, vehicles and equipment are the main ways bird flu reaches flocks. Wear clean clothing and footwear in bird housing, and either use a Defra-approved foot dip on the way in and out or keep footwear that stays inside. Keep a record of everyone who visits your bird housing. In an avian influenza prevention zone, complete the self-assessment biosecurity checklist, as APHA or the local authority may ask to see it.