A National Biosecurity Training programme developed by the Canadian Swine Health Board and based on its National Biosecurity Standard, was launched earlier this year in Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba.

Dr Martin Bonneau, the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians representative on the Canadian Swine Health Board's Long Term Disease Risk Management Committee, reports Quebec's 2011 goal of providing training to 500 sites has already been surpassed and if the momentum continues the 2012 target should be quite easy to reach.

Dr Martin Bonneau-Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians

The goal of this programme is to improve the overall biosecurity.

It's delivered through veterinarians that were trained by the national trainer.

That's step number one and the veterinarians have all of the material to give the training to the producers.

The training is a round table type of training where the trainer goes through modules.

Following each module the producer has to make his own self-assessment for their farms.

At the end of the training we ask them to identify two priorities to improve the biosecurity of their sites.

The goal of the training material is to suggest and bring a lot of ideas on how they can do it.

Dr Bonneau says improved biosecurity will reduce some transmission of disease which will limit new introduction of disease, especially in dense areas, including breaks of PRRS and other diseases.

He's confident, as long as people recognize the benefit of the training, the momentum will continue and even the late adopters will recognize that they also have to be on board.