PKDA Biosecurity

There is a lot of choice for Koi-keepers when it comes to purchasing not just Koi but the many items required for their support and well-being. The formation of the PKDA provided hobbyists with the opportunity to deal with Koi specialists that operate to a Code of Practice. In addition, it offers Koi-keepers the right of complaint if a member fails to provide the level of service agreed under the Code. The PKDA exists to keep standards high in the Koi Industry and there is no better judge than those who keep Koi.

There is a lot of choice for Koi-keepers when it comes to purchasing not just Koi but the many items required for their support and well-being. The formation of the PKDA provided hobbyists with the opportunity to deal with Koi specialists that operate to a Code of Practice. In addition, it offers Koi-keepers the right of complaint if a member fails to provide the level of service agreed under the Code .The PKDA exists to keep standards high in the Koi Industry and there is no better judge than those who keep Koi.

Koi - keepers want Biosecurity

Biosecurity creates problems for those that have to operate within its restrictions. Imagine a task that used to take an hour that now takes all day to carry out, due to the precautions that are required. Dealers have to insist that customers do not put their hands into the tanks to pet the koi and the use of hand wipes and gels is now part of the routine at many outlets. Whilst such measures are a nuisance and can appear unnecessary they are part of a far bigger picture to make premises safer and prevent the spread of all health problems, not just KHV. The PKDA dealers much appreciate the active support of their customers and in a recent survey, the Association found that hobbyists want to see biosecurity in action and will give it their full co-operation.

Certified Biosecure

In addition to the Code of Practice, the Association also operates a Biosecurity Scheme approved by the regulatory authorities. This offers hobbyists a far greater level of safety in respect of health problems when purchasing Koi. PKDA dealers who want biosecurity status are required to make changes to their premises and in their operational practices that can be both costly and time consuming. Members apply for biosecure status when confident they can conform to the protocol under which the PKDA Biosecurity Scheme operates. The PKDA Consultant carries out an independent audit of their premises and reports any changes required before a certificate is issued for display that confirms to customers that a dealer is Certified Biosecure under the PKDA Scheme.

Inspection of sites

The Association also has a Biosecurity Auditor who assists the Consultant and carries out other types of site inspection primarily to ensure that standards are maintained under the Scheme. The constraints of being a biosecure dealer can be considerable and in some situations it restricts the manner in which an outlet operates if there is a potential risk of disease. One area that can be difficult is that dealers cannot hospitalise fish for their customers and are unable to purchase Koi collections when a customer is forced to give up the hobby for any reason. None the less, the level of commitment by those dealers who are biosecure to provide safe and healthy Koi for their customers is very high and it is the PKDA policy to ensure that this approach becomes the norm throughout the Koi Industry.

What is biosecurity?

Biosecurity is the term applied to all the ways in which it is possible to prevent and if required manage disease outbreaks. It cannot be seen as a laid down set of precautions that will fit every situation but as a range of measures that when applied appropriately create a safeguard against the risk of all disease. It requires the premises whether a farm, a wholesale centre, or a Koi retail outlet to meet certain high standards. In addition, the staff must be fully conversant with the biosecurity protocol to ensure that their practices fulfil all the criteria required. The system must also flag up where a health problem originated to ensure the necessary action is taken throughout the entire chain of supply.

Why is biosecurity needed

Diseases do not need a passport to travel around the world. In reality all new fish pose risk factors so Koi dealers have to take greater precautions. Koi-keepers can participate in biosecurity and reduce risks by several means. The more that is known about the history of any Koi will increase its safety to some degree. In addition the type of dealer quarantine, if heat ramping was used, or if testing was carried out all decrease the likelihood of any serious health problem. However, the most effective protection is the quarantine of new fish. Koi vaccination is yet another measure in the fight against disease, and immunisation is in use by certain Koi producers in Israel .More on this topic appears in the article on Koi Herpesvirus.

When Koi from various sources meet, pathogens they carry are exchanged. A pathogen is any agent that is harmful and includes parasites, bacteria, and viruses such as Cyprinid Herpesvirus (CHV) often termed carp pox. In most cases, both groups of Koi acquire the capacity to resist health problems carried by the other. However, some diseases require specific incubatory criteria to be met before they materialise and this depends principally on water temperature, a good example of this type of disease is Koi Herpesvirus (KHV).

Water temperature in quarantine?

There is no foolproof method of initiating any disease during quarantine, and whilst there are numerous health problems other than KHV, the seriousness of a virus suggests all possible precautions are taken. The use of heat alone is not always sufficient unless the criteria for KHV are already met within the body of the carrier Koi. That is why both chilling and heating are needed. The water temperature at the outset of quarantine will vary with the ambient temperature depending on the time of year, and in most situations heating equipment will be required. The difficulties of achieving low temperatures in summer are obvious, and for most hobbyists this will require frequent water changes via a purification unit. Koi must be constantly monitored, no matter how gradual the temperature changes are carried out, to ensure parasites such as whitespot are not becoming a health problem. Many Koi naturally carry whitespot without any sign at all until a change in temperature acts as the mechanism that initiates an outbreak.

The application of heat –ramping

At the outset of quarantine, the water temperature should be held at 15/16°C for 24 hours then very gradually increased over approx 7 days to a minimum of 23°C maximum of 27°C and then held for 3 weeks. The temperature should then be taken back down slowly to 15/16°C for another 24 hours, and again with care not to stress the Koi, taken back up to a maximum of 27°C and held for another 2 weeks. If disease of any kind has not developed during that period, it is possible that the Koi have never been exposed to any serious disease such as KHV and are not carriers. It is important that the application of heat ramping in search of KHV should not be regarded as reliable scientifically. A virus has the capacity to hide within the body of the carrier fish. However, in research it has been found that the more chill/heat cycles Koi survive without any disease developing, the less likely they are to test positive for the KHV antibody. This suggests that whilst the use of heat ramping is not foolproof it is still a greater safeguard than taking no action at all.

How valuable is a health certificate?

Buying Koi, certificated KHV free, from any country is a good policy as it may have some validity. However, a certificate does not always mean exactly what the wording seems to imply. Often it is a generalisation, rather than specific details, that apply to a box or consignment of Koi, and some health certificates cover more than one farm and that is impossible in biosecurity terms. It is also fact that biosecurity is not a concept that is fully appreciated and it can be seen as restrictive. Some farms cannot implement it because the changes are too costly or difficult. Due to the nature of the tests currently used in some countries, the certificate means far more in terms of protection for Koi dealers and hobbyists than it does in others. The housing of Koi after testing in non-biosecure facilities away from the farm would score low in a professional biosecurity audit and yet is a common practice. There is no international standard approach to the use of certification. Koi-keepers are therefore recommended to quarantine new purchases, irrespective of any certification available at the current time.