The first draft of the Canadian Swine Health Board's new Biosecurity Users Guide was introduced as part of Swine Health Forum 2010 which wrapped up yesterday in Quebec City.

The document was developed based on information gathered through a national biosecurity benchmarking survey and is intended to assist producers in reducing the risks of disease transmission.

Dr Chris Byra, a veterinarian with Greenbelt Swine Veterinary Service and the author the guide, says the target audience is swine producers and their veterinarians to develop protocols for the farm.

Dr Chris Byra-Greenbelt Swine Veterinary Service

The user guide is the practical tools that farms would use to improve their biosecurity to meet the standards that have been developed.

This as the next step, the next tool to get the process going.

From here there will also be the development of training tools to be used within the farm.

The guide includes a number of practical protocols that would be used on the farm, recommendations on design and construction of buildings for instance all relating to biosecurity.

The information comes from a number of sources, existing biosecurity plans used by breeding companies for example and from the literature of course.

The tool will give you a place to do one stop shopping as you try and develop your plan for your farm or try to modify the plan for your farm.

Hopefully all the information will be in one place and so I think that'll be the main benefit.

Copies of the guide will be available through the provincial pork organizations and on line on the Canadian Swine Health Board web site at swinehealth.ca.

Dr Byra says, because there are always new methods of improving biosecurity and controlling disease, the guide will be continuously updated and because it will be web based it'll be easier to keep it current.