Overview

What is Biosecurity?

Biosecurity is a set of management practices designed to keep harmful diseases out of your herd and prevent their spread within your operation. Biosecurity plans focus on controlling animal movement, monitoring health and reducing exposure to pathogens that can threaten cattle health and business stability.

Why It Matters for Cow-Calf Producers

• Disease prevention: Biosecurity helps prevent cattle diseases that already occur in the U.S. and foreign animal diseases (FAD).
• Economic protection: Outbreaks lead to treatment costs, production losses and potential market restrictions.
• Market access: Strong biosecurity helps maintain consumer confidence and ensures compliance with industry standards.

Daily Biosecurity Plans

Daily biosecurity represents the routine, foundational practices used year‑round to reduce everyday disease risks.

• Focus on routine disease prevention within normal operations — protecting cattle from common pathogens encountered regularly
• Prepares producers for enhanced biosecurity in an outbreak

Enhanced Biosecurity Plans

Enhanced biosecurity goes beyond daily practices and is specifically designed for a foot‑and‑mouth disease (FMD) outbreak or other foreign animal disease emergencies.

• Activated only during high‑risk disease outbreaks such as FMD; aims to maintain business continuity under government movement restrictions
• Requires greater effort and more intensive measures than daily biosecurity to prevent FMD virus entry onto the premises
• Supports eligibility for movement permits during an FAD outbreak, helping maintain cattle flow and business continuity

Secure Beef Supply Plan

Developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide a workable business continuity plan for operations that are under movement restrictions but not infected with a FAD.

• Developed for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) but can be adapted for other FADs
• Provides biosecurity and surveillance training, tools and resources for producers and veterinarians

Take Action Now

• Use the LSU AgCenter Biosecurity Plan Template with the help of your veterinarian and local extension agent to develop your daily and enhanced biosecurity plans.
• Develop a Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (VCPR) with a veterinarian if you don’t already have one.
  • This is necessary for veterinarians to be able to assist you with regulatory requirements in the event of an FAD.

For more information, visit the Beef Quality Assurance Biosecurity Resources and the Secure Beef Supply website.

For full text, please see PDF.

Authors:

Christine B. Navarre, D.V.M., M.S. — School of Animal Sciences, LSU AgCenter
Tyler Barlow, Tripp Morgan, William Strickland, Lanie Richard and Joshua Salley — Agriculture and Natural Resources Assistant Agents