People move. Trucks move. Disease risk moves. Production systems are becoming more connected, and the ability to see, understand and respond to those movements is increasingly important. In fact, a Swine Health Information Center study found that 75% of trailers leaving harvest facilities were contaminated with at least one pathogen, even though they tested negative for all viruses on arrival.
This means that people need to think bigger beyond their own truck fleet. A common objection to digital biosecurity is that third-party trucking companies will not share their GPS data to be part of a regional biosecurity program. It’s a legitimate concern since these companies and truck fleets operate independently and don’t necessarily see the reason to link into a customer’s biosecurity management system.
The Network Effect in Manitoba
But Manitoba (MB) is a different story. Within that province, there are 873 vehicles (trucks or trailers) connected to Farm Health Guardian software via GPS, with a total of 32,733 average monthly vehicle visits recorded to those properties. A visit is when a person or a vehicle enters one of the participating farm or agri-business properties.
Of the 873 trucks and trailers connected to the Farm Health Guardian software, 528 (60%) are third-party vehicles, such as live-haul transport companies, feed companies, and maintenance contractors. These third-party vehicles account for nearly 7,500 visits per month or nearly 23% of the total monthly visits.
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