National study of the risks of spreading swine disease in war: biosecurity tips

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Based on the results of another biosecurity audit conducted as part of the Animal Health in Ukraine project in cooperation between the Association of Ukranian Pig Breeders and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), we share a few recommendations that businesses should pay attention to.

Recommendation №1: control the integrity of the fence.
Just because a farm has a fence doesn't mean it's fully serving its purpose. An equally important safety rule is to check it regularly for integrity, especially if the fence is mesh. Therefore, it is important that the outer and inner perimeters around the fence have paths that allow a detour for inspection, and that there are no thickets that can become a haven for wild animals and rodents.

Recommendation №2: Control the de-barriers.
This is the biosecurity weakness of most facilities. Ideally, the disbarrier should be covered so that precipitation will not affect the concentration of the disinfectant. If there is no cover, the facility should promptly "correct" it. To do this, it is imperative to have an appropriate protocol and keep a log of records, which should include the date and time of updating the solution in the disinfection barrier.

Recommendation №3: control of personnel carrying personal belongings.

Many businesses comment that they do not have the right to prohibit employees from bringing their phones and cigarettes onto the farm premises. However, these are items that their owners are in constant contact with, which means they are as biosecure as possible.
It's good practice to provide work phones that don't leave the production area, which will forward calls to the personal numbers of farm workers.
As for cigarettes, there are different approaches. The simplest is to allow cigarettes to be brought in blocks in film after disinfection according to farm protocol.
There is experience when an enterprise supplies cigarettes on the farm for a separate payment to employees. The most radical option is a ban on smoking on the farm premises. However, the risk of not complying with the requirement is high. Therefore, motivation and control must be very high!

On the other hand, we must remember: if employees leave the production buildings to smoke in designated areas, they must return to the production facilities through a sanitary pass, each time involving a shower and a change of clothes. Otherwise, the principle of dividing into dirty and clean zones will not be observed.


The Association of Ukranian Pig Breeders is a nonprofit, voluntary organization founded by domestic pork producers. The main objectives of the association are representation and protection of rights and interests of the association farms, assistance in the development and introduction of new technologies for the efficient production of pork, expansion of markets, protection of domestic sales market.