Vicente Sanchez Zanatta

• Program: MSc student | ABVP candidate
• Supervisor: Dr. John Harding, Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, WCVM
• Home community: Wainwright, Alta.

• DVM, University Of Veracruz (Universidad Veracruzana), Mexico — 2009

Dr. Sanchez Zanatta is a licensed veterinarian who graduated from the Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico in 2009. He has been working in the Canadian swine industry for the last 14 years, with three years of work experience as a farm manager in a 1,100-sow farm. His experience includes herd health management, farm operations and production oversight.

He is pursuing board certification in swine health management with the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). Dr. Sanchez Zanatta is committed to continuous learning and is always looking for opportunities to expand his knowledge and develop new skills in the livestock industry.

The term "internal biosecurity" describes procedures aimed to reduce the transmission of pathogens between animals and groups within farms. Effective internal biosecurity will reduce morbidity and mortality by limiting pathogen load or delaying exposure to a more opportune time. The success of internal biosecurity depends on identifying which procedures are most effective and ensuring those procedures are implemented consistently and with precision. However, there is limited evidence about the effectiveness of specific internal biosecurity measures, particularly under the conditions of intensive Canadian pork farms.

This research will identify and evaluate key internal biosecurity practices implemented on commercial swine farms in Western Canada. The project will first develop an expert-informed list of critical internal biosecurity measures, which will be used to assess biosecurity compliance on Alberta swine farms. Subsequently, the study will investigate the relationships between internal biosecurity compliance and animal health outcomes, including treatment rates and mortality across different production stages.