Staying Safe on the Farm: Reducing Zoonotic Risks in Mixed-Species Operations
What do you do when one of your animals starts showing signs of sickness, and you have multiple types of animals living in close proximity? Maybe you’re worried about your small flock of backyard chickens passing something to your goats, or perhaps you’re concerned about your dog’s contact with livestock. When multiple animal species share space, disease can spread easily between them- and sometimes to us. That’s why strong biosecurity, vaccination programmes, and sanitation practices are essential to protect animal health and human safety alike.
At The Vale Veterinary Group, we understand that caring for diverse species comes with both joy and responsibility. As trusted partners in herd and flock health, we help farmers and smallholders create structured biosecurity plans, monitor animal health, and respond rapidly to emerging disease risks. Our farm services and dedicated laboratory support ensure your animals and your family stay healthy and protected year-round.
Understanding Zoonotic Diseases and Why They Matter
What Are Zoonotic Diseases?
Zoonotic diseases are illnesses that can pass between animals and people. On mixed-species farms, these infections may spread through direct contact, contaminated environments, insects, or even shared equipment. Some infections cause only mild symptoms, while others can pose serious risks to livestock productivity and human health.
Preventing these infections starts with awareness and education. Veterinary guidance and routine monitoring help protect farmers from zoonotic disease while reducing stress on both animals and people.
At The Vale Veterinary Group, our farm veterinarians work closely with clients to strengthen infection control across species, covering everything from vaccination schedules to manure management and vector control. We emphasize the importance of risk mapping, which identifies potential transmission routes unique to each property, from shared water sources to wildlife exposure. Recognizing these farm-specific risk points allows for tailored, sustainable prevention plans that keep both livestock and people safe.
Common Zoonotic Diseases on Mixed-Species Farms
Zoonotic Risks Across Species
Different animals carry different risks, which is why understanding species-specific zoonoses is key. Zoonotic diseases from farm animals include bacterial infections like Salmonella and Leptospira, which can move between livestock and humans through contaminated water, feed, or soil.
Cattle
For cattle owners, zoonoses associated with cattle such as bovine tuberculosis, ringworm, and cryptosporidiosis can spread through close contact, especially when handling young or unwell calves. Pregnant women, young children, and immunocompromised individuals face elevated risk from cryptosporidium exposure during calving season. Regular screening, proper hygiene during calving and colostrum feeding, and wearing gloves when treating sick animals significantly reduce transmission.
Small Ruminants
In small ruminants, zoonotic diseases of sheep and goats like Q fever and orf are of particular concern due to their persistence in the environment and potential to infect humans. Risk is highest during lambing and kidding, when aerosolized birth fluids can carry Coxiella burnetii bacteria that cause Q fever. Pregnant women should avoid lambing areas entirely, and all handlers should use personal protective equipment during reproductive periods.
Swine
In pig farming, zoonotic diseases from swine include influenza A viruses, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Salmonella, and Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, which causes erysipelas. Swine influenza poses unique concerns because pigs can harbour both human and avian influenza strains, potentially creating new virus combinations. Direct contact with pigs, contaminated equipment, or improperly cooked pork can transmit these pathogens, making proper protective equipment and thorough handwashing after handling essential for farm workers and veterinary staff.
Poultry
In poultry operations, pathogens such as avian influenza, Campylobacter, and Salmonella represent ongoing threats. There are many zoonotic diseases from birds and poultry, which can be passed through contact with faeces, feathers, or contaminated bedding. Backyard poultry keepers are particularly at risk when allowing birds into living spaces or failing to maintain separate footwear and clothing for coop work. Proper handling of eggs, droppings, and bedding, combined with restricted visitor access and designated clean areas, helps stop these infections from spreading to other animals or humans.
Pets
On mixed holdings where pets interact with livestock, zoonotic diseases in companion animals such as toxoplasmosis, leptospirosis, ringworm, and Campylobacter create bidirectional risk between household pets and farm stock. Dogs and cats can serve as mechanical vectors, carrying pathogens on their coats or paws from contaminated areas into clean zones, barns, or feed storage. Toxoplasma gondii shed in cat faeces poses particular concern for pregnant sheep, as it causes abortion storms, while dogs with leptospirosis can contaminate water sources used by livestock. Brucellosis is a major human health risk, most commonly seen in intact male dogs imported from other countries. Keeping pets out of lambing areas, feed stores, and milking parlours, combined with regular veterinary care and parasite control for companion animals, protects both human and animal health on the farm. If you have a dog or cat, our small animal services can help you ensure they are vaccinated and using the right preventatives to limit any disease transmission to your family or stock.
Our sheep services, beef herd consultations, and dairy support programmes provide targeted disease management, diagnostics, and vaccination advice to reduce these risks across herds and flocks. By coordinating care across species, we help mixed holdings operate safely while maintaining high standards of welfare and productivity.
Reducing Zoonotic Risks on the Farm
Prevention Through Proactive Care
Zoonotic prevention is built on three core pillars: healthy animals, hygienic environments, and informed people. Our veterinary team helps farmers and smallholders put these principles into daily practice through comprehensive herd health plans, vaccination strategies, and regular testing.
Good hygiene remains one of the most effective defences against disease transmission. Consistent handwashing, designated clothing and footwear for animal areas, and proper manure handling can drastically lower exposure. Maintaining clean birthing pens and safely disposing of afterbirth materials also reduces cross-species contamination.
Producers should also consider feed storage and pest management as essential parts of their biosecurity plan. Rodents and wild birds can serve as mechanical carriers of pathogens, introducing bacteria or viruses into livestock areas. Regular disinfection of feed bins, water troughs, and shared handling equipment further limits the spread of pathogens between groups.
Balanced vaccination and deworming programmes protect both livestock and companion animals. The Vale team ensures each farm’s biosecurity measures are fit for its unique combination of species and space.
Preventive care consultations also include reviewing cleaning protocols for calving pens, shearing sheds, and poultry housing, areas where disease transfer most commonly occurs.
If you’d like to review your farm’s biosecurity protocols or explore tailored preventive care, our farm services team is ready to assist.
Educating Farm Workers and Families
Training, Awareness, and Safe Habits
Everyone who lives or works on a farm plays a role in preventing zoonotic spread. From experienced stock handlers to children helping with chores, clear routines and ongoing education make all the difference.
Our veterinary team provides practical training on safe animal handling, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and proper sanitation after contact with livestock or poultry. Simple visual reminders like posters near handwashing stations, PPE checklists in milking parlours, and written feeding routines encourage consistency. For younger family members, age-appropriate lessons on hygiene and respecting animal space foster lifelong safe habits. We also work with farms to develop easy-to-follow communication guides, ensuring relief workers and visitors understand on-site protocols before entering animal areas.
Monitoring and Managing Outbreaks
How to Respond When Illness Strikes
Even with the best prevention, outbreaks can occur. A structured response helps contain infection quickly. Clear record-keeping is vital. Tracking animal movements, visitor access, and feed or bedding sources allows veterinarians to trace infection routes efficiently. We recommend daily observation logs noting appetite, milk yield, and temperature changes, often the first indicators of a developing problem. Early action can mean the difference between a localized case and a widespread event.
If you suspect a transmissible illness, isolate the affected animals immediately and contact your veterinarian for assessment and testing. Our in-house Vale Veterinary Laboratory provides fast diagnostic turnaround for bacterial and viral agents, while our consultancy teams guide disinfection, quarantine, and reintroduction protocols.
The Power of Vigilance and Partnership
The most successful farms aren’t just those that produce healthy animals, they’re the ones that plan ahead, monitor daily, and adapt quickly when challenges arise. Routine veterinary care, clear hygiene policies, and team-wide education create lasting barriers against zoonotic transmission.
At The Vale Veterinary Group, we believe that prevention and partnership are the foundation of sustainable animal health. Whether you manage a smallholding, mixed livestock herd, or family pet alongside farm animals, our veterinarians are here to help you design practical strategies that keep everyone, animals and humans alike, safe and thriving.
For guidance on biosecurity, vaccination, or herd health planning, contact our team today. Together, we can protect the health of your animals, your family, and your livelihood.
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