With its many county fairs, livestock competitions, and rodeos, summer is the perfect season to highlight Nebraska agriculture. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture wants to remind livestock owners that summer is also the perfect time to protect your animals and keep them healthy by following strict biosecurity measures.
“Just like people can spread illness to each other when gathered in a group, livestock diseases can be spread by contact with sick animals,” said State Veterinarian Roger Dudley. “We want livestock owners to be aware and practice good biosecurity measures with their animals, particularly with animals participating in livestock competitions and shows.”
Here are some biosecurity tips to follow before, during and after livestock shows.
Before the show
• Monitor your animal’s health. If your animal is sick, do not attend the show.
• Clean and disinfect your show equipment and trailer before going to the show.
During the show
• Monitor your animals for heat stress and any signs of illness.
• Do not share equipment or tools with other exhibitors.
• When watering your animals using a community hose, do not allow your animal to drink directly from the hose or dip the community hose in your bucket.
After the show
• When returning from a show, isolate those animals from other animals at your farm and watch for signs of illness. Do not allow nose-to-nose contact between these sets of animals.
• Don’t share supplies like buckets and feed pans between animals in isolation and other animals. All equipment should be thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and allowed to dry after use in the isolation area.
• Consult a veterinarian if your animal becomes ill.
• Clean and disinfect equipment, clothing, shoes, show box and contents, and vehicles or trailers that were used at the show.
To help prevent the spread of diseases, Nebraska has import restrictions for livestock coming into the state from states that have confirmed reportable disease cases. If you are considering moving an animal into Nebraska, please visit https://nda.nebraska.gov/animal/imports/import-requirements.html or call 402-471-2351 to learn more about any importation orders that are currently in place.
Individuals from Nebraska transporting animals to exhibitions in other states should contact the destination state to learn about their import requirements before transporting animals.
Individuals or practitioners who suspect or have concerns about livestock diseases should contact NDA at 402-471-2351.
