Contact: Dr. Garry Adams, (979) 845-5051
                Burt Rutherford at TCFA                                                                                          

            "It's like closing the cupboard and knowing who has been there and who hasn't." 

            That's how Dr. Garry Adams described ways that cattle feeders can protect themselves and their animals from either an intentional or accidental introduction of pathogens.  Adams, associate dean for research and graduate studies at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, spoke on biosecurity during the 35^th Anniversary Convention of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association today in Amarillo . 

            "Animal agriculture is vulnerable to attack by bioterrorists.  And animal agriculture is also vulnerable to incidental introduction of pathogens," he told cattle feeders.  The obvious response, he noted, is to ask the question, "how can we prevent or at least minimize the possibility of an incidental or intentional introduction of an animal disease?" 

            "The first thing is to educate ourselves-consumers as well as producers-about methods to prevent introduction.  Knowledge is one of the most powerful tools we have that we can exploit for the least amount of input." 

            Adams says that education should center around understanding the avenues of entrance that pathogens can take and how to close the pathways of entrance into animal agricultural systems.  However, he told cattle feeders, it's one thing to know, it's another to implement.

 "Implementation (of methods to prevent and control pathogens) is probably more difficult because of the investments we have to make in time and resources.  But we need to think in terms of investing in methods to reduce the likelihood of an organism entering our operations."

            At the producer level, that means reducing the amount of traffic in and out of the operation and controlling access for possible routes of entry.  "That may mean everything from a padlock on the gate to improved lighting.  It may mean vaccination or disinfection.  It may be several types of barriers-biological, chemical, physical and so on.  It would be the whole complex of methods to prevent the entry of a pathogen into the system."  That begins at the point of entry into the country, extends to the marketplace and finally to individual operations. 

            Producers, he told cattle feeders, are key to the early detection of any pathogen, because they know their animals and they see them regularly.  He encouraged all cattle producers to watch for any abnormal behavior and to have it investigated immediately.