Biosecurity and Humane Livestock Management in Post-Pandemic India
Vikram Chandu V*
* M.V.Sc Scholar, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, Kurumbapet, Puducherry – 605009.
* Corresponding author Email ID: vikramchanduvemulapalli00@gmail.com
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most significant global crises in recent history. Spanning over two years, it had a profound emotional, health-related, and economic impact. Among the most affected were small-scale workers and labourers, whose livelihoods were severely disrupted. The livestock sector also suffered due to market closures, disrupted supply chains, and misinformation—such as the false belief that COVID-19 could be transmitted through meat. However, the pandemic also sparked new avenues for growth. There was a notable shift toward digitalization, including the rise of online marketing and sales—even for livestock and animal products. Public awareness regarding personal health and well-being increased dramatically, indirectly benefiting the livestock sector by raising demand for safe, quality animal products. As the sector aims to improve both the quality and quantity of production, the importance of biosecurity and humane livestock management has become more apparent than ever. With growing concerns over pollution, climate change, and animal welfare, there is an urgent need to adopt sustainable and ethical practices. Rapid advancements in technology are also paving the way for more welfare-oriented innovations. Thus, understanding humane animal rearing practices and strictly adhering to biosecurity protocols is essential for a resilient and responsible livestock industry in post-pandemic India.
Keywords: COVID -19, Biosecurity, Welfare, Livestock
Post pandemic challenges faced by livestock sector
After the COVID pandemic, the livestock sector faced various challenges such as the need for digitalization and adoption of rapidly growing technology, lack of veterinary infrastructure and working professionals, gaps in surveillance and proper vaccination regimens, scarcity of feed and fodder, rapid migration of labourers in search of better opportunities, financial instability and lack of updated policies, fear among livestock owners of facing further losses due to another pandemic, inability to meet consumer standards, changes in marketing patterns, and increased animal welfare issues.
Changes noticed after the pandemic
There has been definitive improvement in certain areas of the livestock sector in recent times. Farmers are increasingly adopting digitized payment systems, modern methods of animal rearing, and utilizing mobile app-based services. Many individuals are entering the livestock sector as an additional source of income, growing awareness among them regarding hygiene production, animal welfare etc. Furthermore, farmers are actively enhancing their knowledge, embracing sustainable and exotic practices through online education and capacity-building programs. These upgrades are noteworthy in understanding the evolution of biosecurity measures and livestock management practices following the lockdown and pandemic period.
Biosecurity
A biosecurity measure (BSM) – is the implementation of a segregation, hygiene, or management procedure (excluding medically effective feed additives and preventive/curative treatment of animals) that specifically aims at reducing the probability of the introduction, establishment, survival, or spread of any potential pathogen to, within, or from a farm, operation or geographical area (Huber N et al., 2022). The biosecurity consists of five main compartments: (i) bio-exclusion, biosecurity measures (BSM) preventing the introduction of a pathogen at a farm, (ii) bio-compartmentalization, BSM preventing the spread of a pathogen within the farm, (iii) bio-containment, BSM preventing the spread of the pathogen to other farms or premises, (iv) bio-prevention, BSM preventing the spread of zoonotic pathogens to humans, and (v) bio-preservation (Renault V et al., 2021). The concept of biosecurity per se has been included across various sectors and scales, from the environmental to the animal and human health sector, and from the individual animal/human to farm/operation, regional, national, and international scale.
Key biosecurity measures in livestock farming include restricted or limited access to the farm, implementation of hygienic production practices, regular sanitation and disinfection of premises, effective vector and pest control, adherence to proper health management and vaccination schedules, provision of quality feed and potable water, application of isolation for sick animals and quarantine for newly introduced stock, species-based rearing practices, farmer training on disease prevention and control, and preparedness for emergency disease outbreaks.
Biosecurity in post pandemic era
COVID showed us how devastating a viral disease can be. It made the general public realize how outbreaks occur, how pathogens spread, and how important self-protection truly is. This awareness extended to the livestock sector, where farmers began to understand the necessity of disease mitigation. There has been a growing awareness of livestock diseases, along with the strengthening of surveillance systems. Hygiene practices on farms have improved, and access is now more restricted especially during disease outbreaks to limit external contamination. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by handlers has increased noticeably.
There has also been greater dissemination of knowledge regarding disinfection and sanitation, supported by more training programs and capacity-building efforts. The rise in mobile data usage has contributed to the increased availability and use of mobile apps focused on livestock care and animal handling techniques. In addition, there is better awareness and practice of proper disposal and handling of dead animal carcasses and related materials. Supply chain biosecurity measures have improved, and community-level responses to disease outbreaks have become more active and coordinated.
Humane management of livestock
Livestock will be under tremendous stress when reared in an improper way. This will directly or indirectly affect the life and productivity of the animal, which in turn causes losses. Calm, low-stress methods for handling cattle, sheep, pigs, and other farm animals will result in better productivity and increased human safety (Temple Grandin., 2021). Humane management practices are a set of things followed at the farm level to minimize stress, increase welfare, and meet the needs of animals, including humane transport and slaughter. So that when animals are sent through the end of their life, they live in a calm environment, are safeguarded, and slaughtered in a painless, stress-free, and humane way. Reducing stress during handling will improve productivity and prevent physiological changes that could confound research results or lower productivity (Temple Grandin., 1989).
To provide humane rearing, understanding at a deep level the normal behaviours and basic habits of animals is necessary so that welfare standards can be met. With the continuous evolution of humankind and increased demand, rearing livestock with humane consideration though it requires tremendous attention is the only way to provide animals a quality life. The key components include: proper housing and management, ensuring a proper environment where animals are reared, water and nutrition intake, health management and biosecurity practices, proper stress-free transport and slaughter, and maintaining records such as health and breeding data.
Animal welfare
The Five Freedoms were formulated in the early 1990s and are now well recognised as highly influential in the animal welfare arena.
- Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition
- Freedom from discomfort and exposure
- Freedom from pain, injury, and disease
- Freedom from fear and distress
- Freedom to express normal behaviour (Mellor DJ., 2016).
Post Pandemic upgrades in livestock management
In the post-pandemic era, there is a shift in management techniques toward a more humane way, as farmers have experienced the devastating effects of lockdowns being unable to take care of animals and facing breaks in the supply and market chain, which affected profits and production flow. There has been a slight change in trend after the pandemic, such as increased awareness regarding animal welfare, health management techniques, and the use of mobile technologies implemented on farms like apps to monitor behaviour and health. There is also rising demand for organic farming and for animals to be reared with welfare-based natural behaviour rather than traditional methods. Integration promoting farmers and slaughter-free units, public and commercial farms can now witness that public demand and markets are also influencing farmers significantly to improve their techniques, as every piece of data is recorded, and social media and NGOs are influencing the push toward stress-free rearing, transport, and slaughter.
Challenges and limitations
- Traditional beliefs and practices
- Lack of correct knowledge about biosecurity
- Insufficient and poor-quality training programs
- Shortage of skilled veterinary professionals
- Lack of infrastructure and funding
- Lag in technological innovation and adoption
- Small-scale livestock holdings
- Changing environmental conditions
- Pollution and environmental hazards
- Feed and water scarcity
- Limited land availability and overcrowding
- Poor waste disposal and lack of regulation
- Nomadic herding
- Poor policies and lack of incentives for farmers
- Lack of interest among farmers in preventing diseases
- Low literacy
- Lack of data collection, reporting, and management, especially for infectious diseases
- Inadequate involvement of women
- Economic pressure
- Lack of systems to continuously monitor animals
- Lack of female workers
- Lack of digital literacy among middle-aged and older farmers
- Variations in consumer awareness
- Increase in Antimicrobial abuse and AMR among humans and animal sector
- Lack of awareness on environmental hygiene
This list includes only a few of the challenges and limitations in biosecurity and humane livestock management at the current time.
One health concept
The concept of One Health has been developed as the appreciation that human health is intricately connected to those of other animals and the environment that they inhabit (Pitt SJ and Gunn A., 2024). This approach is to design and implement programs, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes (Anisuzzaman et al., 2023). After the pandemic, the idea of One Health and its implementation and collaboration increased rapidly to produce greater outcomes. Holistic approaches from various sectors, which were often neglected before, have now become a key part of disease management. Through the One Health approach, there has been an increase in biosecurity measures and the development of new technologies, enabling the provision of welfare and a healthier life to livestock.
Conclusion
Ensuring a quality life, health, and welfare of animals is primarily rooted in strong biosecurity measures and humane livestock management. These are no longer optional, they are essential. Such foundational practices not only safeguard animal well-being but also directly contribute to sustainable production and farm profitability. Although the pandemic has shifted perspectives and altered some existing practices, much work remains to be done. Moving forward, this requires multi-sector collaboration, farmer education, increased public awareness, and consistent support from governments and policymakers. Only through such a collective effort can we hope to improve the current situation, build resilience in the ever-evolving agriculture and animal sectors, and ensure food safety and security for future generations.
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