Biosecurity Guidelines for Inspection, Surveys, Complaints in Manitoba Fields

Purpose

To ensure individuals who are requested or required to enter crop production fields are following proper stewardship protocols to minimize the spread of pests to uninfected fields.
 

Background

Soil-borne pests are problematic because of persistence in soils and limited crop protection products (ex: clubroot, soybean cyst nematode, verticillium wilt). The exact amount of infected soil required to initiate infection in an uninfected field is not defined. To reduce risk of spread, you should take precautions to minimize the transfer of soil and disinfect tools, equipment and clothing which may transfer pests.
 

Field Entry

  • Before entering the field, make the farmer or landowner aware of the steps that are being undertaken to limit the spread of soil and soil-borne pests.
  • Whenever possible, you should do field visits or inspections on foot.
  • Vehicles should be parked, on the municipal road or in the approach and not in fields.
  • When you do field inspections with a farmer, if you're required to travel in a vehicle, travel in the farmer’s vehicle, wherever possible.
  • Try to reduce your field visits when the field is muddy.
 

Personal Protective Clothing

  • Where possible, your should wear plastic disposable booties (worn over existing footwear) or footwear that can be cleaned (ex: rubber soled shoes/boots or rubber boots) and disinfect them between fields.
    • Upon leaving the field, turn your disposable booties inside out and place them in each other to reduce soil movement. Do not reuse and dispose in your regular garbage.
    • If your wear footwear without booties, it should be removed, scraped clean of visible soil, washed and disinfected before you inspect the next field.
      • You can carry disinfectants in a household spray bottle (1L) or garden sprayer and used to mist down your footwear, after all visible soil and debris has been removed.
  • You should also use disposable gloves and coveralls. Before leaving the field, you should wash/clean and sanitize your hands and any other body parts that may be covered with soil.
 

Small Tool, Vehicle and Equipment Sanitation

  • Upon leaving the field you should sanitize small tools, vehicles and field equipment.  
    • start with rough cleaning, which includes knocking or scraping off soil clumps, then
    • begin with fine cleaning, using compressed air to blow off remaining soil, or washing with water to rinse off remaining soil.  It is best to do this at the field approach, but could be done at a nearby carwash (tires, wheels and undercarriage, especially wheel wells and anywhere else mud may have stuck), then 
    • spray down with disinfectant, coating all surfaces
 

Documentation

  • You should keep a record of the prevention steps you followed at the end of every field visit or inspection, in case there are any subsequent questions or concerns. Documentation is to be maintained by the individual.
  • Below is an example of a biosecurity checklist to be completed when visiting fields.  The below checklist can be downloaded in a fillable .pdf and printed Biosecurity Checklist for Field Visits Form (pdf 83 KB)

 

 
Manitoba Crop Field Biosecurity Checklist                        Date of Field Visit: ____________
Staff Name:______________________________                                Crop Type: _________________
 
 
Field Information
 
Legal Location (or GPS):_____________________
 
 
Producer/Landowner
·        Name _________________________
·        Phone Number__________________
 
 
Yes
No
Comments
 
1.      Were field conditions wet or muddy?
 
 
 
 
 
2.      Did you meet with the producer/ landowner to discuss protocols prior to field entry?
 
 
 
 
 
3.      Did you enter the field with your vehicle or any field equipment? (if no, go to #7)
 
 
 
 
 
4.      Was your vehicle and/or field equipment clean prior to field entry?
 
 
 
 
 
5.      Did you clean your vehicle and/or field equipment at field exit prior field exit?
 
 
 
 
 
6.      Did you wash/disinfect your vehicle/field equipment after leaving, but prior to next field visit?
 
 
 
 
 
7.      Did you wear disposable booties or clean footwear into the field?
 
 
 
 
 
8.      Did you wear any other protective clothing (ex: disposable coveralls, gloves)?
 
 
 
 
 
9.      Did you clean and disinfect footwear and/or dispose of disposable booties and clothing properly, upon field exit?
 
 
 
 
 
10.    Did you clean and disinfect any tools used, both prior to and after visiting the field?
 
 
 
 
 
11.    Did you wash your hands and other body parts that may have come into contact with soil? Did you wear gloves while working in field?
 
 
 
 
 
12.    What disinfectant was used?
 
 
 
 

 

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