Have you heard the phrase “So-and-so walked it in here” when a disease like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) was inadvertently introduced by a visitor, contractor, or employee? Today’s farms have invested heavily in biosecurity protocols—from shower facilities and dedicated barn clothing to strict downtime rules and health pyramids. Yet, what is written on paper doesn’t always match what is really happening at the farm. Before piling on more rules, the priority must be verifying that the ones already in place are actually being followed. Disease doesn’t usually enter through missing protocols; it enters through the day-to-day gaps in compliance with those protocols.
Written protocols are not enough
In a presentation at the 2026 Four Star Veterinary Service Pork Industry Conference, Dr. Andréia G. Arruda, associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, stated that written biosecurity protocols on their own are not enough. Producers and veterinarians need ways to measure, document and audit what happens on farms every day.1
“To really know what we need to do, we need to know what’s being done,” Arruda said. “And if we don’t measure what we’re doing, then we don’t really know what to improve.”
An investigation of severe outbreaks of PRRS conducted by Dr. Arruda in 2025 revealed that while protocols were in place, verifying implementation was a challenge. A farm could have a sophisticated transport or entry protocol with clothing and footwear changes, plus multiple steps intended to separate clean and dirty areas. But when investigators asked for audit records or evidence showing that those procedures were consistently followed, the information was sometimes difficult to produce.
“The documentation and auditing of these processes was more complicated than the protocol itself,” Arruda said.
Her words echo those of Dr. Karine Talbot, Senior Director of Animal Health, Nutrition and R&D, Hylife Ltd. “You think you know what’s happening, but you don’t know what’s happening,” underscoring the gap between written procedures and their day-to-day implementation.
Making biosecurity easier
Producers intrinsically know that people movements are a risk, but implementing and verifying biosecurity protocols is complicated.
Farm Health Guardian digital biosecurity developed the Protocol Farm Visits app to make it easier for workers, contractors and visitors to meet biosecurity requirements. The app records each time a user enters or exits a farm property through geofencing technology. Movements outside of these properties are not recorded.
The app instantly verifies biosecurity requirements within a system, digitally records visits, and helps biosecurity teams identify issues and respond more quickly. It gives employees, contractors and biosecurity teams instant access to downtime, pyramid and other biosecurity requirements between authorized properties within a production system. Through Farm Health Guardian software, users can quickly review requirements, plan the most efficient route between multiple sites, reducing the hassle of manual downtime planning using connected property information, biosecurity requirements and digital visit history.
Real-time data leads to greater compliance
When it comes to reducing disease risk, adding another rule or biosecurity procedure may not be the answer.
It may be verifying implementation of the rules already in place, such as visitor requirements, downtime, visit order, and other routine practices.
Are we measuring and recording the procedures as best as we can to improve processes in our swine farms?
“Are we measuring and recording the procedures as best as we can to improve processes in our swine farms?” asks Arruda.
This is where Protocol Farm Visits app can play another valuable role. When biosecurity requirements for a system are configured in the software, the app will send real-time breach alerts to notify teams when downtime or site biosecurity requirements are not met, helping operations identify and respond to issues immediately. Plus, the team can send in-app biosecurity notifications, health status updates, and operational messages for better communications across a livestock system.
“Digital biosecurity monitoring transformed the biosecurity culture from reactive to proactive,” says Dr. Christine Mainquist-Wingham, DVM, MS, at Pillen Family Farms.1
Real-time access to movement records, alerts, and biosecurity information means that issues can be identified sooner and addressed faster. Better visibility of movement activity helps personnel follow site requirements more consistently and strengthens biosecurity compliance across your operation.
The research paper Controlling pathogen movements throughout the entire value chain: Toward a dynamic, collective biosecurity strategy in European swine systems by Prezioso et al, states that: “To embed ongoing compliance the system also needs to routinely inform industry participants about their individual and collective compliance…digital monitoring and real-time notifications greatly improve compliance by making personnel more aware of their actions.”
For more information, visit farmhealthguardian.com.
1 https://swineweb.com/prrs-outbreaks-expose-gaps-between-biosecurity-protocols-and-practice/
