Our commitment to biosecurity

A recent outbreak of avian influenza in migratory birds and dairy cows in several U.S. states – the latest development in an epidemic that has been circling the globe for nearly four years – is generating headlines regarding the impacts to infected dairy cows, which include decreased lactation. 

In a recent press release, the U.S. Department of Agriculture maintains that “there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply.” The agency further emphasizes there is no concern currently about risks to human health.  

How we protect against infectious disease 

The newly heightened focus on avian influenza offers an opportunity for companies like ours – that are involved in the animal agriculture and food industries – to detail the steps we take to protect against infectious disease or harmful biological agents. 

Ensuring biosecurity is critical to protecting the integrity of the feed-and-food chain, not just for Darling Ingredients, but all industry participants. Biosecurity is a priority and an essential component of our daily operations. 

Infectious-disease risks are something we actively take steps to ward against every single day -- not just when the topic is making news. No avian flu cases have been found in any Darling Ingredients facilities or products.

Our commitment to biosecurity extends to more than just avian flu – it covers a variety of animal diseases, everything from African swine fever to “mad cow disease” to whatever might come down the pike next.

Darling Ingredients takes a holistic approach to biosecurity. The processes and protocols we’ve established are designed to protect our customers, the animals that consume our ingredients and the workforce at our facilities.

Biosecurity is incorporated into critical aspects of our operations, most notably our processes for producing finished feed ingredients for animals. These processes employ very high temperatures that kill threats like viruses, similar to pasteurization at dairy farms. 

In most instances, that’s more than enough to protect against potential animal disease at our facilities. 

Yet, our biosecurity efforts don’t end there. 

Prioritizing protocols to minimize contamination 

We recognize there are other ways a virus or bacteria conceivably might infect facilities or products, especially after finished animal feed has been processed. The risks of this happening are exceedingly low, but not so low they can be ignored. 

Our health protocols are designed to minimize  contamination along the value chain. In addition to the extreme temperatures used in processing, we insist on aggressive pest control and robust fencing at our facilities. The goal is for no gaps to exist that could allow potentially infected birds or animals to enter a facility.

Personnel at our facilities must adhere to stringent personal hygiene requirements to ensure no virus or pathogen is unknowingly introduced. This starts with routine washing and scrubbing with antibacterial soap and other agents. Employees also change clothing and shoes at work to prevent any chance of contamination from outside. 

Elevated protocols when animal disease is detected 

If even a single case of animal disease is confirmed in a state or region where we operate, our product quality and safety team evaluates the need for elevated biosecurity protocols at our facilities in that region. 

This starts with seeking out and handling all nuisance birds, rodents and other animals anywhere on the grounds, rather than just working to ensure they can’t enter where operations take place.

In heightened situations, we wash and disinfect the wheels of outgoing trucks headed to farms and feed mills to ensure we don’t unwittingly transfer disease.

Maintaining biosecurity is a collective effort. We work collaboratively with industry partners, trade groups and relevant regulatory authorities to monitor situations as they evolve. Our standard biosecurity efforts comply with or even exceed relevant national and local regulations in the U.S. and other countries where we operate. 

Darling Ingredients goes to great lengths every day to keep our facilities, products and workforce disease-free. While it’s a lot of work, requiring focus and determination, our commitment to biosecurity is unwavering.