Poultry Production BiosecurityAn Overview of Biosecurity in Poultry ProductionGeneral BiosecurityBiosecurity is a set of management practices which reduce the potential for the introduction and spread of disease-causing organisms onto and between sites.Biosecurity procedures, particularly cleaning and disinfection, should be combined with vaccination and strategic treatments to either eradicate or reduce these pathogens to non-infectious levels.Disease TransmissionThe mode of disease transmission between birds, or between sites, differs depending on the type of infection. For example, respiratory disease viruses replicate in the respiratory tract. Subsequent sneezing and coughing release virus particles which are then spread by aerosol transmission. On the other hand, enteric (gut) diseases cause diarrhoea, so infectious agents spread through droppings, whilst air sac and oviduct infections lead to egg contamination and transmission.Other diseases persist on sites through the contamination of equipment and litter by stubborn virus particles. Many organisms will persist outside the host, and coccidia, salmonella, aspergillus and many viruses can survive in this way for a considerable time, especially in organic material. Pasteurella, mycoplasmas and some bacteria can also live for some time. Respiratory viruses tend to be fairly fragile once outside the host, although may be able to travel at least five miles in the air if conditions are favourable.Factors Influencing BiosecurityInfection may be harboured and spread in a variety of ways. In relation to poultry, these may include by vermin (mainly wild birds, rats and mice), in feed, in droppings, by wind, by inadvertent human intervention and on equipment or litter. These factors all influence the planning of a biosecurity programme.In an ideal world, sites should be located away from other poultry, and breeders should probably be sited at least five miles from any commercial farms in order to avoid airborne spread of disease. Obviously, this is frequently impracticable, so some air borne respiratory viral challenge will often be a feature of the disease load.However, disease avoidance measures are still worthwhile and can be undertaken at various stages. For example, avoid building sites near waterways, ponds or lakes utilised by migratory water fowl, and choose well drained areas to avoid standing water. Birds on range will be susceptible to contamination from wild birds and will attract vermin. Wherever possible, poultry houses should also be located away from major roads that handle high volumes of poultry vehicles.Effective waste disposal and removal of used litter from the site is essential. Areas around houses should be constructed of materials and surfaces that can be cleansed and disinfected, to reduce transmission of organic material on vehicles, tyres, boots etc. Use a multipurpose broad spectrum virucidal and bactericidal disinfectant which will be capable of dealing with gross organic challenge.People are the most important animate factor - including employees, servicemen, lorry drivers, vaccination crews and vets. Staff movements should be as limited as possible, particularly where the disease situation on a site has deteriorated.Control site traffic. Keep it to a minimum and exclude all unauthorised persons.Wherever possible, vehicles should be excluded from the site. Those vehicles which must enter should be subject at the site entrance to spray disinfection of wheels and wheel arches. All visitors should observe standard operating procedures on vehicle cleansing and disinfection, and protective, farm only clothing should be provided to and used by drivers.All visitors should enter on foot. Use regularly refilled foot dips, charged with a suitable disinfectant (e.g. DuPonts Hyperox or Virkon S).All site visitors should be provided with adequate protective clothing, and should wash their hands prior to visiting birds. Use an effective hand hygiene system which is equally effective even when there is no available water supply (DuPont Antibacterial Hand Soap and Instant Hand Sanitizer). A shower in, shower out facility should also be put in place wherever possible.The birds themselves can also be a cause of disease spread. Incoming poultry should therefore be from high health status sources, and there should be a well defined health monitoring and audit procedure for breeder supply flocks. This should extend to hatchery hygiene procedures with regular microbiological monitoring. Avoid the potential spread of infection from diseased carcasses by on-site incineration.Effective cleaning and disinfection reduces pathogen numbers and the weight of disease challenge, and enhances any biosecurity programme. It can only be achieved with sufficient turnaround/down time to allow removal of all litter, and to satisfy required contact times for the disinfection products used prior to restocking. Cleaning and disinfection should include houses, equipment and surroundings.Use potable drinking water with a low total viable count. Maintain a closed water system with lids on all header tanks. At turnaround, clean and disinfect the water system with a suitable product (e.g. DuPont Virkon S) to remove the greasy biofilm that will harbour and protect pathogens.Treat feed bins and feed delivery systems. Feed delivered to the site must be of high health status and vermin protected. Finished feed and stored raw materials should be sampled regularly for salmonella. "High risk" raw materials or sources should not be used.Check biosecurity procedures regularly. Use only biosecurity products with independently proven broad spectrum efficacy against viral and bacterial pathogens, and use them according to manufacturers' instructions. Maintain an effective, audited rodent and wild bird control programme, and prevent entry of poultry houses by vermin through good house design and repair.Biosecurity Checklist1. Properly implemented biosecurity measures will limit the spread of disease-causing organisms.2. When these are combined with cleaning and disinfection, vaccination and strategic treatments, many pathogens can be reduced to non-infectious levels.3. Remember - different infectious agents spread by different methods, so use appropriate measures against each type.4. Site location and design, and density of poultry in a given geographical area, are vital. When planning a new site, there is the opportunity for very effective biosecurity to be implemented at the design stage. However, biosecurity practices must concern themselves with practicalities, rather than a theoretically ideal set-up.5. All sites have traffic - personnel, feed, stock, and equipment - but this should be kept to an absolute minimum.6. Only essential vehicles should have access to a site, and these should be disinfected on arrival.7. Use protective, farm only, clothing to prevent pathogen spread.8. Priority should be given to biosecurity measures on breeding sites since errors here are magnified greatly at the commercial level.9. Similar priority should be given at the hatchery level.10. Site decontamination, turnaround times and a well-audited and structured cleansing and disinfection procedure should be in place for all sites.11. Effective vermin control must be maintained.12. Only disinfectants with independently proven broad spectrum efficacy against viral and bacterial pathogens should be used and at manufacturers' stated dilutions and directions.In emergency disease control situations, it is appropriate to consider all restrictions which may be imposed by the country specific governmental agricultural departmentThe Need for BiosecurityThe greatest threat to the wellbeing of any creature comes from other creatures of the same species. The closer they crowd together, the greater the risk of disease - disease which can be passed directly from human to human, from animal to animal, or through indirect carriers such as contaminated surfaces, feed or water, vermin or insects.Biosecurity, in other words excluding disease organisms from the creatures environment, is the most effective form of protection, especially those farmed using modern production techniques. From viruses or bacteria, coccidia or fungi, disease may spread via recognised vectors of infection, from the animals themselves, the people who handle them, contaminated food and water, housing and equipment, and even the air itself. Viruses causing Chicken Anaemia or Gumboro are not only extremely persistent in the environment, but are also immunosuppressive, thus increasing susceptibility to additional pathogen attack. Modern biosecurity techniques are a key element in disease control, providing a healthier environment for your livestockPoultry Production BiosecurityTerminal Biosecurity ProgrammeFour Stage Terminal Biosecurity ProgrammeThe standard terminal biosecurity programme comprises of 4 specific stages, the objective of which is simple to prevent the carry-over of pathogenic organisms, thus ensuring that each new crop gets a completely clean, fresh start.Stage 1: Removal of Equipment and Dry Cleaning1. Remove any residual food from the feeder system and silo.2. Remove all movable equipment.3. Blow or wash down all surfaces to remove dust from ceilings, water pipes, fan boxes and inlets.4. Remove all litter from the house using scrapers and blow or brush loose debris from the ceilings and floor.5. Load litter onto lorry ensuring that all areas such as concrete pads by doors and silos are cleared of old litter, dust etc. Make sure that the load is covered before transporting from site.6. Blow or wash down bulk feed bins before disinfecting.Stage 2: Water System Clean and Disinfect1. Isolate header tank at mains inlet point, check that it is free from debris and then drain entire system from the drinker points furthest away. Clean as required.2. Fill the tank with the necessary volume of water to fill the entire drinking water system adding the appropriate amount of disinfectant concentrate to achieve the required dilution.3. Allow disinfectant solution to fill the system to the drinker points farthest away from the header tank. Leave for one hour.4. Thoroughly flush lines through with clean water. Repeat process if scale and biofilms remain.5. Refill the header tank with clean fresh water.Stage 3: Cleaning Buildings and EquipmentThorough washing of all surfaces and equipment is essential to achieve the best results from the subsequent disinfection stage.WASHUsing a pressure washer apply an appropriate DuPont detergent solution to all surfaces. Ensure coverage of air inlets, fan boxes, partitions, feeders, drinkers and other equipment, including any removed from the house. Include any service/utility rooms in this cleaning procedure before rinsing all surfaces and equipment with clean water at high pressure.PRE-SOAK1. Externally, spray air inlets and built-up deposits from around fan boxes and loading areas with DuPont detergent solution. Ensure that all dirty areas such as concrete aprons around the houses and bulk bin pads are washed clean.2. Internally, soak all surfaces thoroughly with DuPont detergent solution applied at low pressure. Leave for 20-30 minutes, and then rinse at high pressure using clean water.Ensure all surfaces and equipment are visibly clean before moving on to the disinfection stage.Stage 4: DisinfectionThe level of disease-causing organisms present after the cleaning stage is high enough to present a serious disease challenge to a new crop of birds.Using a broad spectrum DuPont disinfectant proven effective against viruses, bacteria, fungi and moulds is essential.1. Use either a knapsack sprayer or pressure washer on a low pressure setting (300psi) to disinfect all equipment removed from the building. Place the equipment back in the cleaned building prior to disinfecting the house itself.2. Using a pressure washer on a low pressure setting (300psi) or an orchard sprayer for larger premises apply the disinfectant solution evenly to all washed internal surfaces to achieve thorough wetting.3. Pay particular attention to corners, cracks and seams ensuring that all sides of supporting posts are covered.4. Spray into the apex of the roof and work down the walls to the floors.5. Working from one end of the building to the other, apply disinfectant solution to the floor of the building.6. Upon completion of the disinfectant process, close all doors and place disinfectant footdips at all entrances.7. To control organisms introduced to the house during the setting up procedure and to disinfect the air and other inaccessible areas of the building use either a fine mist sprayer or thermal fogging machine to apply a suitable DuPont disinfectant solution evenly.

Poultry Transport Biosecurity ProgrammeIntroductionThe importance of biosecurity for all vehicles associated with poultry production cannot be stressed enough. This applies especially to livestock and feed vehicles, but also to any others visiting poultry premises.Livestock haulage and other vehicles, such as feed lorries, engineers and other visitors unfortunately provide an excellent vector through which disease can spread.Our unique Transport Biosecurity programme provides poultry farmers and hauliers with step-by-step procedures to follow. If adhered to, these procedures can help reduce disease transmission via transportation of livestock.Vehicle Disinfection SummaryIn addition to livestock haulage vehicles, all vehicles e.g. feed lorries and contractors must follow this summary to reduce the potential for transmission of disease. Only essential vehicles should enter the site. All vehicles visiting the unit should be kept outside the biosecurity perimeter if at all possible. Vehicles should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected using the DuPont Vehicle Biosecurity Programme prior to arrival at the unit. Wheels, tyres and wheel arches should be cleaned and disinfected upon arrival at the unit using disinfectant wheel dips or sprays where provided. Personnel should wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), use disinfectant footdips, and disinfect their hands prior to entering premises.DuPont Cleaning & Disinfection AgentsCleansing

DuPont NeutrafoamDilution:1:100 (1 litre in each 100 litres)

Rate:500 ml/m

Disinfection

DuPont Virkon SDilution:1:100 (KG in each 100 litres)

Rate:300 ml/m

Vehicle Cleaning and Disinfection ProceduresBefore undertaking the following biosecurity programme please ensure that the person carrying out the procedure is wearing clean and disinfected protective waterproof coveralls, Wellington boots, rubber gloves and goggles.STAGE 1. Dry Cleaning - Removing Organic SoilingIt is essential to remove all gross organic soiling from the vehicle, as dung and refuse contain high levels of contamination and are a major source of infection.Using brushes and scrapers ensure the following areas are covered: Once all modules and carrying cages have been removed from the trailer (area where poultry are transported), scrape then brush any soiling/litter from the deck, ensuring all organic material is removed. Particular attention must be paid to the removal of organic material from the underside of the vehicle where deposits can build up. Using a stiff hand brush (or pressure washer where necessary), ensure that any deposits of mud, litter etc are removed from the wheels, wheel arches, tyres, mud-guards and exposed chassis of the vehicle.All soiled litter and refuse should be disposed of in accordance with regional local authority or governmental guidelines.Enclosed Trailer (Box Lorry) Starting at the top of the vehicle then working down, first scrape out all soiling and refuse, and then brush the floor and any internal surfaces. Ensure that any gross organic material is removed from the tail lift of the truck where applicable by scraping and brushing.STAGE 2. CleaningFollowing the removal of the gross organic soiling, high levels of infective material will still remain.Cleaning with a detergent, such as Neutrafoam, at a dilution of 1:100 for spraying or 1:50 for foaming will ensure that greasy deposits do not remain on any surfaces. Using a detergent also reduces the time taken to clean by up to 60%, and reduces the spread of disease in washing water.Apply with either a knapsack sprayer or pressure washer using the appropriate application rate (500ml/m2 for normal application, 250ml/m2 for foam application). If using a pressure washer, ensure that it is set on a low pressure setting (approx. 500 psi :35 bars) using a 45 angle jet.Cleaning the Vehicle Using either a pressure washer or knapsack sprayer, starting at the top and working down, soak all internal and external surfaces of the vehicle (excluding the cab interior) with Neutrafoam detergent at 1:100 dilution rate. Ensure that special attention is paid to the wheels, wheel arches, tyres, mud-guards and underside of the vehicle. Ensure that any equipment stored in the vehicle such as shovel, brush etc are removed and washed thoroughly with Neutrafoam. Allow at least 10 minutes for the detergent to penetrate and loosen the dirt from all surfaces before rinsing at high pressure with clean water.It is essential to have removed all organic material before proceeding to the disinfection stage.STAGE 3. DisinfectionThe level of disease organisms, particularly viruses, present after cleaning and sanitizing could still be high enough to offer a serious disease challenge. The use of a broad spectrum virucidal disinfectant active against viruses, bacteria and fungi must be used to complete this effective disease control programme.Use Virkon S at a dilution rate of 1:100 solution (1KG in each 100 litres) and rate of 300 ml/m2 at low pressure: Outside of vehicle, start at the top and work down each side. Ensure that special attention is paid to the wheel arches, tyres, mudguards and underside of the vehicle. Disinfect the floor of the transporter and any internal surfaces where applicable. Attention must be paid to the loading ramp and tail gate lift where applicable. Ensure that all washed equipment is sprayed or soaked in disinfectant solution.In very rare instances, Virkon S may affect untreated metals or inferior or damaged galvanised metals. In these cases we recommend rinsing these areas with clean water after disinfection ensuring a contact time of at least 5 minutes.Ensure that any modules fitted onto the transporter have been fully cleaned and disinfected using a crate/module washer and are only replaced once the transporter has undergone the DuPont Vehicle Biosecurity Programme.STAGE 4. Cleansing & Disinfecting the Cab Remove all removable items from the cab of the vehicle including the floor mats; clothing, Wellington boots etc, and then using a dustpan and brush remove any and dispose of it into a refuse sack. Ensure that the foot pedals are free from any organic material. Using a soft hand brush and a bucket of Biosolve Plus at a dilution rate of 1:100, clean the cab floor, floor mats and foot pedals allowing at least 10 minutes for the detergent to penetrate and loosen the dirt before rinsing with clean water. Using a clean cloth soaked in a solution of Virkon S at a dilution rate of 1:100, disinfect the cab floor, floor mats and foot pedals. Ensure that all items packed back into the cab are clean and disinfected, where possible.Finally Park the vehicle on a slope to drain and dry. Once the vehicle is removed from the wash area, wash down the concrete surface with detergent making sure no muck or debris remains. Wash & disinfect waterproof overalls and boots. Take care to avoid any solutions entering surface water drains or water course