Professor. Boye Omole, an animal scientist at the Ibadan-based Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), has urged livestock farmers to practice biosecurity, which he said is crucial in preventing infectious diseases.
He stated this in an interview with the News Men in Ibadan on Monday 15 March 2021.
Biosecurity, he said, is still the cheapest and most powerful disease control method anyone can get, since it is designed to keep potentially infected animals and tainted items away from safe livestock farms.
He also said Biosecurity aims to create a barrier against disease-causing agents and other threats by reducing the movement of biological organisms and external threats within livestock operations.
”It acknowledges that diseases in animals cannot be eradicated, but that livestock producers can mitigate disease risk by introducing effective control measures,” he clarified.
Omole further stressed that infectious agents, whether they cause clinical or sub-clinical disease, have a direct effect on livestock efficiency, profitability, and long-term financial viability.
Bio-security, according to prof. Omole, may be about risk management in order to achieve business objectives.
”The aim of bio-security is to create a barrier against disease-causing agents and other threats by restricting the movement of biological organisms and other external threats outside and inside livestock operations.
”The entire definition of biosecurity acknowledges that animal diseases cannot be eradicated, but that livestock producers can mitigate disease risk by implementing effective control measures.
“Biosecurity is critical in livestock production to avoid production-related economic losses, he added.
As a result, he urged farmers and the government to take any measures necessary to avoid these diseases, such as cleaning animal housing and vaccinating livestock.
while he added that animal diseases are still a concern because of the economic losses they inflict and the risk of transfer of the causative agents to humans.
