There are a number of different threats to animal health in agriculture. This includes infectious diseases, contamination of food and water, and climate change. They have an impact on farmers all around the world. In fact, it can hurt entire communities. With as many as 45% of households relying on the agricultural industry, it is important to look at ways to improve conditions for animals.

What to do?

There are a number of different interventions you can try here. It is a good idea to look at some of the most crucial areas, such as water, air, sanitation, and hygiene. You can also look at different levels to ensure you have a good strategy in place.

Water

When it comes to water, you should always keep in mind how crucial it is to health. It is even more important than providing a sufficient amount of food.

There are two things to keep in mind here. Firstly, you must ensure you are providing the right quantity of water. Animals should never go thirsty, whether they are at pasture or in housing. You may need to review and improve your infrastructure here to safeguard supplies.

The second thing to do is protect water quality. You should make sure the supplies for animals are clean and free of pathogens. They must be safe at source as well as point of use.

Air

Just like humans, air quality can have a massive impact on animal health. There will be a much higher risk of illness and disease in areas where the air is bad. This is especially likely if airborne pathogens can spread quickly and easily.

A good strategy here is to keep an eye on the air quality. You may need to put infrastructure in place to prevent dissemination of pathogens.

Sanitation

A number of health problems can occur because of poor waste disposal and management. It can result it animals coming into contact with microbial threats.

What you need to do here is ensure you have a proper sanitation infrastructure. Make sure you dispose of all human waste properly so it does not get to animals. Plus, dispose of animal waste correctly, get rid of wastewater, and take care of fallen stock.

Hygiene

Animal health can improve massively if you have good hygiene standards. Again there are two main things you need to do here.

First off, always make sure you manage and store food safely. Keep the storage environments hygienic, down to the individual containers and stacks. In addition, don’t allow cross contamination, and make sure you keep an eye out for pests.

Secondly, it is a good idea to have plans in place for cleaning and disinfection. This includes for animal dwellings. Any humans that come in contact with the animals should also be practising good hygiene so they don’t spread pathogens.

Do you need animal health products?

JS Hubbuck Ltd has decades of experience in the agricultural sector. We support clients from all areas of it, including those who raise livestock. To ensure we can deliver the best service, we have a massive range of products. More importantly, we can also provide advice about any of them. It can assist clients so you make the right purchases.

If you do need any animal health products, feel free to contact us. We can give you recommendations for many needs.