A STUDY ON RISK FACTORS AND BIOSECURITY MEASURES

IN VENEZUELA PIGFARM
E. J. KWIECIEN
1
, C. SOLA
1
, V. BERMUDEZ
2
1. Escuela de Educacin Agrcola, Universidad Simn Rodrguez, Canoabo, Carabobo Venezuela.
2. Catedra de Anatoma Patolgica, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, UCV, Maracay, Aragua. Venezuela.
E-mail: edukwiecie@cantv.net - ekwiecie@telcel.net.ve



Introduction:
Management and Enviromental factors have been linked to
be a risk to several pig diseases. Therefore, biosecurity
measures for pigfarms are related to several aspects in the
pig production to low the risk to entrance any disease.
The aim of this study was to analyse and to consider those
factors and biosecurity measures in pigfarms from central
states in Venezuela.

Materials and Method:
58 Pigfarms located in Aragua and Carabobo States were
randomly sampled for this survey. A questionnaire (1,2, 3)
with 110 questions was used to collect information about
management system, facilities, housing, biosecurity
measures, health herd management, sorrounding farm,
production system, feed manegement, animals production
different to pigs, presence of domestic animal in farm, etc.

Results and Discussion:
Only 26 questionnaires (44.82%) were recovered, 10 of
them were rejected because they had wrong answers or
they were incomplete. So those ones wich had all the
complete answers were used to this study.
The survey showed that 98% of the Pigfarms inquired use
the farrow to finish system and 75% of the pigfarm have
500 average sow herd.
More than 70% of the pigfarms raise other kind of
domestic animal together with pig production (data not
shown) in the same farm but in different facilities (Table
1). 68% of the Producers raise beef cattle, 25% raise
broilers and 43.75% raise sheep or goat . In spite of the
Producers realize of the consecuences to raise different
domestic animals, no actions are made to solve this
bioscurity problem within the farm.
More than 40% of the pigfarms are located less than 400
meters between them. Some of the them are less than 10
meters far, and 43% of the pigfarms have a public way 50
meters far. 56% of the Pigfarms use the all out-all in
system but not in the whole facilities, and many of them
don`t have quarantine area to income replacement or new
pigs purchased from genetic company, this show that
farmers don`t make proper use of all in-all out and
qurantine management
This results show that almost all of the pigfarms have high
risk to entrance any disease or that those diseases can
persist into the farm if they do not apply biosecurity
measures to prevent this problem. In the other hand, the
pigfarms studied are in risk because of the presence of
several factors that can affect the herd health, and
consecuently affect the pigfarm itself and then the
pigfarms in the neighboring
Currently, the rest of the survey is going on to get more
pigfarms to complete this study

Table 1. Main Results of the Survey:

I T E M n/T %
Raise of Different kind of
Animal:
Beef Cattle Herd
Broilers
Sheep - Goat
Horses
Birds
Others


11/16
4/16
7/16
4/16
3/16
5/16


68,75
25.00
43,75
25,00
8,75
31,25
Distance from the next farm:
(m.)
100 400
400 900
900 3.000
More than 3.000


7/16
6/16
1/16
2/16


43,75
37,50
6,25
12,50
Distance from the next public
way: (m.)
Less than 50
50 200
200 500
500 1000
More than 1000


7/16
2/16
3/16
3/16
1/16


43,75
12,50
18,75
18,75
6,25
Facility to income
replacement pigs:
(Quarantine)
Yes
Not



6/16
10/16



37,50
62,50
All out-All in Management of
the Facilitie:
Yes
No


7/16
9/16


43,75
56,25
Routine procedures in
piglets:
Iron inyection
Cut tail
Cut teeth
Antibiotic Inyection
Castration


16/16
15/16
14/16
8/16
13/16


100,0
93,75
87,50
50,00
81,25
Transportation of Feed and
Pigs:
Own Truck
Rented Truck


9/16
7/16


56,25
43,75

References:
1. Smith, S.H.; McOrist, S.; Green, L.E. 1998.
Veterinary Record 142: 690 693.
2. Pearce, G. P. 1999. Veterinary Record. 144: 338 342
3. Amas S, Clark K. 1999. Swine Health Prod. 7(5):217-
228.