National Farm - Level Mink Biosecurity Standard - Producers' Guide
Appendix C - Additional Site Plan Examples and Potential Approaches to Implementing Biosecurity Zones for More Complex Operations
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Figures 1–3 present additional site plan examples and potential approaches to implement premises, CAZ and RAZ biosecurity zones for more complex operations that integrate feed kitchen, pelting, bedding storage, and workshop areas.
Description for the graphic illustrating biosecurity zones for Mink Premises, CAZ and RAZ
Legend:
Light Brown = Transition Area
Light Orange = Controlled Access Point Gate
Yellow = Controlled Access Zone (CAZ)
Purple = Controlled Access Point Door
Red stop sign = No Entry Signage
Dark Orange = Restricted Access Zone (RAZ)
Dark Brown = Door
Green line = security fence
The premises show a yellow CAZ area with controlled access point gates at each end. The CAZ area contains a dark orange RAZ area with two mink sheds inside with doors at each end. The RAZ area leads to a manure, waste and storage area on one side and enclosed areas for feed kitchen, pelting area, bedding storage and workshop at the other side. There is security fencing around both the RAZ and CAZ areas. An office is located off the CAZ area with designated parking and a laneway at one end and a secondary laneway connected to the manure waste area at the other end.
Figure 1 is a farm site diagram that includes additional buildings representing the production activities that occur on a mink farm.
Three zones/areas are represented: the Premises (which is the least biosecure), the CAZ (which is more biosecure) and the RAZ (which is the most biosecure) area.
There are two mink sheds (indicated by gray rectangles) in the center of the diagram. The RAZ (represented by a red and black filled rectangle) surrounds the mink sheds, a feed kitchen, a pelting area (located near the entrance to the RAZ) and manure waste storage area located at the rear of the mink sheds and accessed by a secondary laneway.
A CAZ (represented by a yellow and black hatch-marked rectangle) surrounds the RAZ and also includes the bedding storage and workshop areas. A transition area (identified by a brown square) located in the CAZ abuts the RAZ. A laneway leads from the road on the far left of the diagram, enters the premises and leads to a parking area and an office, all within in the premises zone. A secondary laneway on the far right of the diagram exits the CAZ. Key features include:
- Primary and secondary access points where a secondary access point/laneway is used for waste removal and mink shipments, while the primary access point is used for everything else;
- Parking for staff and visitors, which is located outside the CAZ ;
- An office where visitors sign in for possible entry to the transition area and the CAZ.
- Security fencing of the CAZ and the RAZ;
- Controlled access points and transition areas that meet biosecurity protocols to enter the CAZ and/or the RAZ; and
- Doors, with signage (represented by red octagons), used as barriers to the CAZ and the RAZ, for managing access at the controlled access points by staff and visitors.
- Entry/exit to the CAZ requires the application of biosecurity process.
- Once in the CAZ, no additional biosecurity measures are required to access the bedding storage and workshop buildings as they have an equivalent biosecurity status to the CAZ.
- The feed kitchen, pelting and manure/waste storage areas are included in the RAZ. Entry/exit to these areas from the CAZ is restricted by a CAP as additional biosecurity measures are required. Movement from the RAZ side requires no additional biosecurity measures.
- Including the kitchen, pelting and manure/waste storage areas in the RAZ allow movement between these areas and the mink sheds without the need to perform additional biosecurity measures. This minimizes the opportunity for transmitting disease pathogens between the CAZ and RAZ.
Description for the graphic illustrating current, actual site plan with biosecurity zones for Mink Premises and RAZ
Legend:
Light Brown = Transition Area Light
Orange = Controlled Access Point Gate
Yellow = Controlled Access Zone (CAZ)
Purple = Controlled Access Point Door
Red stop sign = No Entry Signage
Dark Orange = Restricted Access Zone (RAZ)
Dark Brown = Door
Green line = security fence
Notes: compost and storage are located offsite
The premises show a dark orange RAZ area with three controlled access point gates with no entry signage. The RAZ area has five mink sheds inside with doors at each end. The RAZ area leads to a feed kitchen and a pelting area which also leads to an office. There is security fencing around the RAZ area. Designated parking and a laneway are located behind perimeter fencing with freezers and cereal bins located between the parking area and the feed kitchen.
Figure 2a is a diagram of an actual mink ranch to demonstrate the biosecurity measures currently in place. From the public road, a laneway extends to the right and is bordered by perimeter fence fully on the left side and only partially on the right where the laneway enters the designated parking (gray area) of the premises. To the right of the parking area are freezers (purple rectangles) and cereal bins (purple circles). An office (brown square) which serves as a transition area for entry abuts the pelting area and feed kitchen. The RAZ (represented by red and black area) includes 5 mink sheds (gray rectangles), the pelting area and feed kitchens). Biosecurity signage (red octagons) is present at the access points to some of the RAZ controlled access points.
Pros:
- Designated parking has been established near the premises perimeter and biosecurity signage is present in some locations.
- CAPs control access to the office and thus the pelting area and RAZ.
- A RAZ has been established around the mink sheds, pelting and feed kitchen which helps to minimize the transmission of disease pathogens into and out of these critical areas.
- Security fencing is present around the RAZ that contains the mink sheds.
Cons:
- There is no CAZ and CAPs to minimize the opportunity for entry by people/vehicles/equipment (which may transmit disease) into the freezers, coolers and the RAZ.
- Security fencing does not surround the feed kitchen or pelting area.
- Biosecurity signage is not present near the office and production area of the premises.
Description for the graphic illustrating potential future biosecurity zones for Mink Premises, CAZ and RAZ
Legend:
Light Brown = Transition Area
Light Orange = Controlled Access Point Gate
Yellow = Controlled Access Zone (CAZ)
Purple = Controlled Access Point Door
Red stop sign = No Entry Signage
Dark Orange = Restricted Access Zone (RAZ)
Dark Brown = Door
Green line = security fence
Notes: compost and storage are located offsite
The premises show a dark orange RAZ area with three controlled access point gates with no entry signage. The RAZ area has five mink sheds inside with doors at each end. The RAZ area leads to a feed kitchen and a pelting area which also leads to an office. There is security fencing around the RAZ area and the adjacent CAZ area containing three freezers and two cereal bins which is located off the feed kitchen and office. Designated parking and a laneway are located behind perimeter fencing next to the CAZ area.
Figure 2b is a farm diagram that represents potential future biosecurity zones for the mink farm depicted in figure 2a.
From the public road, a laneway extends to the right and is bordered by perimeter fence fully on the left side and only partially on the right where the laneway enters the designated parking (gray area) of the premises. To the right of the parking is a CAZ (yellow and black hatched area) which contains the freezers (purple rectangles) and cereal bins (purple circles). An office (brown square) which serves as a transition area for entry abuts the pelting area and feed kitchen. A Controlled Access Point Door in the Office allows entry into the CAZ and another CAP door allows access from the CAZ into the feed kitchen. The RAZ (represented by red and black area) includes 5 mink sheds (gray rectangles), the pelting area and feed kitchens. The CAZ and RAZ are surrounded by a security fence. Some biosecurity signage (red octagons) is present at the access points to the Office, the CAZ and the RAZ.
- Establishing a CAZ and fencing this area will improve security and minimize the opportunity for intentional and inadvertent access to the production areas.
- Establishing a CAP gate at the entry of the CAZ and a CAP door at the entry to the feed kitchen provides the ability to implement biosecurity procedures to reduce pathogen transmission.
- Additional biosecurity signage is an inexpensive and effective means to advise staff and visitors on requirements for entry and other important biosecurity details.
Description for the graphic illustrating current, actual site plan with biosecurity zones for Mink Premises and RAZ
Legend:
Light Brown = Transition Area
Light Orange = Controlled Access Point Gate
Yellow = Controlled Access Zone (CAZ)
Purple = Controlled Access Point Door
Red stop sign = No Entry Signage
Dark Orange = Restricted Access Zone (RAZ)
Dark Brown = Door
Green line = security fence
The premises show a dark orange RAZ area enclosed by security fencing with one controlled access point gate with no entry signage leading to a yard. There is an office, storage and bedding area accessible off both the RAZ area and the yard and food storage and manure waste storage areas are accessible off the yard by controlled access point doors. The RAZ area has four mink sheds inside with doors at each end. The yard leads to designated parking and a laneway behind perimeter fencing.
Figure 3a is a diagram of an actual mink ranch to demonstrate the biosecurity measures currently in place. From the public road, a laneway extends into the premises to the designated parking (gray area). To the right of the parking is a yard (light gray area) which communicates with two RAZs to the north (the feed storage and the manure/waste storage) as indicated by the red and black filled squares. The office, storage and bedding areas (brown box) lies to the south of the yard and is bordered by a large RAZ on the east side (red and black area) and the premises (white area) on the west. The large RAZ contains 4 mink sheds (gray rectangles)
Pros:
- Designated parking has been established near the premises perimeter and biosecurity signage is present in critical locations.
- CAPs control access to the office and the RAZ.
- RAZs have been established around the mink sheds, feed storage and manure/waste stoage areas which helps to minimize the transmission of disease pathogens into and out of these critical areas.
- Security fencing (solid blue line) is present around the RAZ that contains the mink sheds.
- Security fencing (black hatched line) is present around the premises perimeter
- Biosecurity signage (red octagons) is present at the access of the RAZs and the office.
Cons:
- There is no CAZ and CAP at the entry to the yard to minimize the opportunity for entry by people/vehicles/equipment (which may transmit disease).
- Equipment/personnel leaving the RAZ with manure/waste will be travelling across the area that feed carts will be using increasing the opportunity for disease pathogen transmission.
- Staff will have to implement biosecurity procedures to move between the RAZs which may interfere with daily work flow.
Description for the graphic illustrating potential future biosecurity zones for Mink Premises, CAZ and RAZ
Legend:
Light Brown = Transition Area
Orange = Controlled Access Point Gate
Yellow = Controlled Access Zone (CAZ)
Purple = Controlled Access Point Door
Red stop sign = No Entry Signage
Dark Orange = Restricted Access Zone (RAZ)
Dark Brown = Door
Green line = security fence
The premises show a dark orange RAZ area enclosed by security fencing with two controlled access point gates with no entry signage leading to a CAZ area, also enclosed by security fencing. There is an office, storage and bedding area accessible off both the RAZ area and the CAZ area and food storage and manure waste storage areas are accessible off the CAZ area by controlled access point doors. The RAZ area has four mink sheds inside with doors at each end. The CAZ area leads to designated parking and a laneway behind perimeter fencing.
Figure 3b is a farm diagram that represents potential or future biosecurity zones for the mink farm depicted in figure 3a.
From the public road, a laneway extends into the premises to the designated parking (gray area). To the right of the parking is a CAZ (yellow and black hatched area – formerly the yard) which communicates with two RAZs to the north (the feed storage and the manure/waste storage) as indicated by the red and black filled squares. The office, storage and bedding areas (brown box) lie to the south of the CAZ and are bordered by a large RAZ on the right (red and black area) and the premises (white area) on the left. The large RAZ contains 4 mink sheds (gray rectangles)
- Establishing a CAZ and fencing this area will improve security and minimize the opportunity for intentional and inadvertent access to the production areas.
- Establishing a CAP gate at the entry of the CAZ provides the ability to implement biosecurity procedures to reduce pathogen transmission.
- The additional CAP gate between the CAZ /RAZ near the manure/waste storage areas will allow manure/waste removal to occur without moving across the area where feed is transported.
- Additional biosecurity signage (red octagons) at the entry to the CAZ and office area is an inexpensive and effective means to advise staff and visitors on requirements for entry and other important biosecurity details.
- At a later date, creating RAZ corridors between the feed storage and RAZ of the mink shed and the manure/waste storage area and the RAZ of the mink shed would allow movement without the need to perform biosecurity procedures as they would be of equivalent biosecurity status. This would allow the removal of CAPs at those locations.
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