Temporal trends in biosecurity in Irish pig herds using a standardized scoring system.

Background: Biosecurity measures are crucial to the introduction and spread of pathogens both within and between farms. External biosecurity focuses on preventing pathogens from entering or leaving the farm, while internal biosecurity aims to limit or stop the spread of pathogens within the farm. Implementing biosecurity measures not only protects animals from disease but also has positive effects on productivity, welfare and farm profitability. By reducing the need for antimicrobials, biosecurity measures also contribute to combating antimicrobial resistance. To assess and improve biosecurity, tools like Biocheck.UGent have been developed. In Ireland, the Biocheck.UGent tool has been widely used in pig farms since 2018. The aims of this study were firstly to assess temporal trends on biosecurity scores in Irish pig farms from 2018 to 2023 using the Biocheck.UGent tool and secondly to identify areas for improvement.

Results: There was an increase in the number of annual assessments over the study period, with the majority of farms being assessed multiple times. Overall, external biosecurity scores were higher than internal scores. Improvements in the scores were observed over time for most of the subcategories for external and internal biosecurity and across the different farm types. Analysis of the subcategories within the scoring system revealed areas with lower scores, including disease management, cleaning and disinfection, and measures between compartments. Weaner-to-finisher farms tended to have lower scores compared to other farm types.

Conclusions: While external biosecurity in Irish pig farms is generally high, there is room for improvement in internal biosecurity. This study highlights the importance of continuous efforts to improve biosecurity. The data obtained will aid in estimating the cost-benefit of implementing biosecurity measures, crucial for decision-making and better returns on investments.