Biosecurity Week 2026: Breed Success, Not Disease

With breeding underway and more movement of people, animals and equipment at this time of year, the risk of disease entering farms increases. Poor biosecurity can lead to diseases such as BVD, which can reduce conception rates, cause pregnancy losses and impact calf viability, costing farms significantly in lost output and veterinary costs.

The campaign focused on simple, practical steps farmers can take to protect their herd, their breeding performance and ultimately their profitability.

Introducing a stock bull—whether bought, leased or borrowed—is one of the highest-risk biosecurity decisions on the farm. Every new animal brings potential disease risk, regardless of how healthy it appears.

Diseases such as BVD, IBR, Johne’s disease, leptospirosis and campylobacter can all be introduced through incoming stock, with serious consequences for fertility and herd health.

Key messages:

• Always check the health status and history of any bull before purchase or lease
• Treat all incoming animals as a potential risk
• Isolate new bulls for at least 28 days
• Work with your vet on appropriate testing and treatments before introduction

A single poor decision at purchase can undo years of progress in herd health and breeding performance.

While bought-in animals are an obvious risk, disease can just as easily enter the farm on boots, hands, wheels or equipment. During the busy breeding and summer period, farms see increased footfall from vets, AI technicians, contractors, advisors and delivery drivers.

Without proper hygiene, these routine visits can spread diseases such as BVD, IBR, Johne’s disease and leptospirosis between farms.

Key messages:

• Ensure visitors use clean boots and practice good hygiene before entering livestock areas
• Limit unnecessary access to animal housing and handling areas
• Provide simple hygiene measures such as footbaths
• Thoroughly clean and disinfect shared trailers and equipment before and after use

Small steps, consistently applied, can greatly reduce the risk of disease spread.

Vaccination remains one of the most effective and cost-efficient tools available to protect herd health. While it won’t stop disease entering the farm, it can significantly reduce the impact if it does.

Diseases such as BVD, IBR, leptospirosis, salmonella and bluetongue can all affect fertility, cause pregnancy losses and reduce calf performance.

Key messages:

• Review your herd health plan with your vet before breeding
• Ensure vaccinations are up to date and correctly timed
• Focus on diseases that pose the greatest risk to your herd
• Include all animals, including stock bulls, in your plan

Vaccination works best as part of an overall biosecurity strategy—prevention is always more effective and more economical than treatment.

Boundary fencing is often overlooked but is a critical line of defence against disease. Nose-to-nose contact between neighbouring cattle is a known route of disease spread, particularly for BVD, IBR and TB.

This is especially important on fragmented farms or where stock are grazing out-farms.

Key messages:

• Maintain strong, secure boundary fences and gates
• Regularly check for and repair break-ins or break-outs
• Avoid grazing early pregnant animals near boundaries
• Minimise contact with neighbouring stock—consider double fencing where possible
• Take extra care where animals move between different land blocks

Even brief contact between animals can be enough to spread infection and disrupt breeding performance.

The key takeaway from Biosecurity Week is simple: biosecurity is not a one-off task, but an ongoing part of farm management. The steps taken now—around purchasing stock, managing visitors, maintaining boundaries and planning vaccinations—will directly influence herd health and farm profitability in the months and years ahead.

As breeding progresses, taking a proactive approach to biosecurity will help ensure one thing: that farmers are breeding success, not disease.