ON–FARM BIOSECURITY: TRAFFIC CONTROL AND

SANITATION.

WHAT IS BIOSECURITY?

In the context of livestock production, biosecurity refers to

those measures taken to keep disease agents out of

populations, herds, or groups of animals where they do not

already exist. Biosecurity measures are implemented on

national, state, and herd levels. Currently, there is heightened

awareness of national biosecurity as the United States attempts

to keep foot–and–mouth disease (FMD) out of its animal

population.

In addition to national concerns, individual states take

measures to prevent the entry/reintroduction of livestock

diseases they have been able to prevent/eliminate from their

herds by setting requirements for arriving animals. Examples

of diseases that are of particular concern to states include

brucellosis, tuberculosis, and pseudorabies.

Herd–level biosecurity usually rests with the herd owner or

management team; they try to exclude any disease that is not

already present in the herd or limit the spread of disease within

the herd. Examples might include Streptococcus agalactiae

mastitis, bovine virus diarrhea, ovine progressive pneumonia,

and swine dysentery. To be successful, biosecurity plans must

address how the group of animals will be isolated away from

other groups, how traffic (movement of people, animals, and

equipment) will be regulated, and how cleaning and disinfection

procedures will be used to reduce pathogen levels.

What are the Greatest Risks of Disease Introduction?

Although infectious disease can be introduced to a farm in

several ways, bringing new animals or animals that have been

commingled with, or exposed to, other animals usually presents

the greatest risk. New herd and flock sires, or replacement

females, are often the way that new genetics are added to the

herd. This seemingly innocent process is a very common way of

introducing new disease–causing organisms. Producers should

attempt to purchase animals from sources with known health

status whenever possible. In addition, they should plan to:

• Isolate for at least two weeks, but preferably a month, all

new arrivals or animals returning to the herd from situations

where they were possibly exposed to other animals such as at

fairs and shows. Isolation should be in a facility completely

separate from the home animals. Outerwear (boots and

coveralls) worn when tending to the quarantined animals should

not be worn while caring for other animals. If complete isolation

is impossible, use a separate pen or pasture that does not

allow nose–to–nose contact or sharing of feed and water

supplies. While the new animals are isolated, testing should

be accomplished for diseases of particular concern; negative

test results should be received before the new animals are

mixed with the resident herd.

• Work with your veterinarian to develop a sound health

program that includes parasite control and vaccination for the

diseases most likely to be encountered in your operation or

management program.

• Isolate animals showing signs of disease to minimize

exposure of the apparently healthy ones. Contact your

veterinarian so that appropriate diagnostic tests and treatment

can be initiated.

(Gary L. Bowman, D.V.M. – Extension Veterinarian, Swine – & William

P. Shulaw, D.V.M. – Extension Veterinarian, Cattle and Sheep, The

Ohio State University. Adapted from http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme–fact/

0006.html – accessed on 23 December 2006)

Choose THE MOST APPROPRIATE ANSWER for the

questions below according to the text above:

Texto para responder às questões de 01 a 09.

As verdades da razão

Raciocinar não é algo que aprendemos na solidão, mas algo que inventamos ao nos comunicar e nos confrontar com os semelhantes: toda razão é fundamentalmente conversação. "Conversar" não é o mesmo que ouvir sermões ou atender a vozes de comando. Só se conversa – sobretudo só se discute – entre iguais. Por isso o hábito filosófico de raciocinar nasce na Grécia, junto com as instituições políticas da democracia. Ninguém pode discutir com Assurbanipal ou com Nero, e ninguém pode conversar abertamente em uma sociedade em que existem castas sociais inamovíveis.

[...] Afinal de contas, a disposição a filosofar consiste em decidir-se a tratar os outros como se também fossem filósofos: oferecendo-lhes razões, ouvindo as deles e construindo a verdade, sempre em dúvida, a partir do encontro entre umas e outras.

[...] Oferecemos nossa opinião aos outros para que a debatam e por sua vez a aceitem ou refutem, não simplesmente para que saibam "onde estamos e quem somos". E é claro que nem todas as opiniões são igualmente válidas: valem mais as que têm melhores argumentos a seu favor e as que melhor resistem à prova de fogo do debate com as objeções que lhe sejam colocadas.

[...] A razão não está situada como um árbitro semidivino acima de nós para resolver nossas disputas; ela funciona dentro de nós e entre nós. Não só temos que ser capazes de exercer a razão em nossas argumentações como também – e isso é muito importante e, talvez, mais difícil ainda – devemos desenvolver a capacidade de ser convencidos pelas melhores razões, venham de quem vierem. [...] A partir da perspectiva racionalista, a verdade buscada é sempre resultado, não ponto de partida: e essa busca incluía conversação entre iguais, a polêmica, o debate, a controvérsia. Não

como afirmação da própria subjetividade, mas como caminho para alcançar uma verdade objetiva através das múltiplas subjetividades. (Fernando Savater. "As verdades da razão". In: As perguntas da vida. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2001.)