Poultry Biosecurity

Disease challenge by viruses, bacteria, fungi and coccidia presents a major threat to profitable poultry production. Biosecurity, in other words reducing the number of infectious organisms in the environment, is the most effective form of protection.

The Farm Care Biosecurity Programs have been developed based on many years of experience with leading poultry producers around the world. Products and procedures have proven effective in practical farm conditions against a broad spectrum of pathogens. These include persistent and difficult to destroy immunosuppressive viruses causing Gumboro and Chicken Anaemia which make the birds more susceptible to additional disease challenge.

Farm Care disinfectants are also effective against bacteria casing a threat to food safety such as salmonella campylobacter and E.coli.

A guide to Poultry Bioesecurity presented by Farm Care Internatonal’s Dr. John Woodger Download from here (556KB) Microsoft provide a free PowerPoint Viewer

General Biosecurity in Poultry Production

Biosecurity 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 disinfection and sanitation, should be combined with vaccination and strategic treatments to either eradicate or reduce these pathogens to non-infectious levels.

Disease transmission

The 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 releases virus particles causing spread by aerosol transmission. Enteric (gut) diseases cause diarrhoea and infectious agents are spread through the droppings. Air sac and oviduct infections lead to egg contamination and thus transmission via the hatchery.

Other diseases persist on sites through the contamination of equipment and litter by resistant organisms. Many organisms can persist outside the host, and coccidia, salmonella, histomonas, aspergillus and many viruses can survive in this way for a considerable time, especially in organic material as can Pasteurella and mycoplasmas.. Respiratory viruses tend to be fairly fragile once outside the host, although they may be able to travel at least eight kilometers in the air if conditions are favourable.

Factors influencing biosecurity

Infection may be harboured and spread in a variety of ways. In relation to poultry, these may include vermin (mainly wild birds, rats and mice), in feed and droppings, by wind inadvertent human intervention and on equipment or litter. These factors all influence the planning of a biosecurity program.

Ideally, sites should be located away from other poultry, and breeding units should best be sited at least eight kilometres from any commercial farms, to avoid aerosol spread of disease. This is frequently impracticable, so some air borne respiratory viral challenge will often be a feature of the disease load.

However, disease avoidance measures can be undertaken elsewhere. 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 (the spread of avian influenzaduring the 2004 outbreak in SE Asia was in a large part due to contact between farm stock and feral birds the source of the virus). Wherever possible, 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 vehicle, tyres, boots etc. Use a heavy duty broad spectrum virucidal and bactericidal disinfectant eg Farm-Gardwhich will be capable of dealing with gross organic challenge.

People are one of the most important factors and this includes employees, servicemen, lorry drivers, vaccination crews, catching gangs and vets. Staff movements should be as limited as possible, particularly when there is a disease situation on a particular site.

Control site traffic. Keep it to a minimum and exclude all unauthorised persons. All visitors should enter on foot. Use regularly refilled foot dips, charged with a suitable disinfectant e.g. Farm-Gard or Ultra-Gard.

All possible vehicles should be excluded from the site. Vehicles that 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 protective clothing should be used by drivers.

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. A shower in, shower out facility should also be seriously considered particularly on breeding farms.

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 by diseased carcasses by on-site incineration.

Effective cleaning and disinfection reduces pathogen numbers and the weight of disease challenge, and enhances any biosecurity program. It can only be achieved with sufficient 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 covers on all header tanks. At turnaround, clean and disinfect the water system with a non-tainting product e.g. Viru-Gard to remove the greasy biofilm that will harbour and protect pathogens.

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 proven broad spectrum efficacy against all viral and bacterial pathogens, and use them according to manufacturers' instructions. Maintain an effective, audited rodent and wild bird control program, and prevent the entry to poultry houses by vermin through good house design and repair.

Biosecurity checklist

1. Properly implemented biosecurity measures will limit the spread of disease- causing organisms.
2. When these are combined with disinfection and sanitation, 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 theoreticalset-up.
5. All sites must have traffic - including 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 sanitised where possible on arrival.
7. Use protective 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 proven broad spectrum efficacy against all viral and bacterial pathogens should be used and then at manufacturers’ stated dilutions and directions.

Avian Influenza Biosecurity Precautions

Disease	Infectious Organism	Test Approvals	Dilution Rate
Avian Influenza	Orthomyxovirus	Viru-Gard	1:320
		Farm-Gard	1:320
		Ultra-Gard	1:300

These results clearly show the effectiveness of the products for killing the Avian Influenza virus. However, in practice one must bear in mind farm conditions, in particular the heavy organic challenges and broad range of potential disease causing organisms. For this reason we recommend that the above disinfectants are used at a dilution rate of 1:100.

Farms in an area where Avian Influenza has been identified can reduce the risk of contracting the disease by putting a continuous biosecurity program into place to prevent the virus from entering the farm’s environment.

Preventive Biosecurity

When considering an effective continuous biosecurity program, it is essential to bear in mind that the Avian Influenza virus can survive for considerable lengths of time outside of the host and birds can be infected through a number of vectors:

• Contact with other birds
• Contact with mechanical vectors such as vehicles and equipment
• Contact with personnel
• Establish a secure Biosecurity perimeter to ensure that the site is limited to one combined entrance and exit, providing a means of contact between the site entrance and the farm house/office e.g. a bell or whistle for essential callers.
• Minimize the number of visitors and where possible provide farm only boots and overalls.
• Put a shower-in policy into place and provide hand-washing facilities (Farm Care Germicidal Hand-Gard).
• Provide foot and wheel dip baths filled with an approved disinfectant (Farm-Gard, Ultra-Gard or Viru-Gard at 1:100) and ensure that the disinfectant is changed on a daily basis.
• Ensure that all vehicles have been cleaned and disinfected prior to arrival at the site.
• Only allow essential vehicles to enter with all others (staff, service vehicles etc) being kept outside the Biosecurity perimeter.
• Disinfect Loading Bays, Paths and Roadways with an approved disinfectant (Farm-Gard, Ultra-Gard or Viru-Gard at 1:100)
• AERIAL DISINFECTION - Spraying a fine disinfectant mist or fog over birds can help reduce the potential of infection and secondary infection during outbreaks. Use a mechanical or plumbed in fogging system or a pressure washer delivering a very fine mist to fill the atmosphere with a fine mist or fog of Viru-Gard solution using approximately 1 litre of 1:200 (0.5%) per 100 cubic metres. Apply two to four times daily over the stock during period of risk.

Housings and Farm Building Cleansing and Disinfection:

Personnel must be provided with and wear personal protective equipment prior to commencing the cleaning and disinfection procedure. The equipment should comprise of; respirator face mask, eye protection, coveralls, heavy duty rubbers gloves and rubber or polyurethane boots.

• Remove all equipment and dry clean the inside of the building/housing.
• Dispose of all litter and debris as far away from the building as possible. Apply a heavy duty cleaner (Quat-Garddiluted at 1:500) to all internal surfaces at low pressure and leave for 20-30 minutes to penetrate dirt, muck etc.
• Using clean water, pressure wash all surfaces.
• Sanitise the water system within the building/housing Viru-Gardleaving it for 30 minutes and then flush the system through with clean water.
• All equipment removed from the building must be thoroughly cleaned (Quat-Garddiluted 1:500 leave 20-30 min), rinsed with clean water and then disinfected (Viru-Gard at 1:100).
• Using either a knapsack sprayer or pressure washer apply disinfectant (Viru-Gard at 1:100) to all internal surfaces, paying particular attention to corners, cracks and seams. Allow to dry before restocking and replacement of disinfected equipment.
• The farm buildings, loading bays, paths etc should then be treated with disinfectant, leaving it to soak for at least 30 minutes before rinsing with clean water.
• Once the building/housing has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, replace equipment and lay new bedding if appropriate. The building may now be fogged with disinfectant (Viru-Gard at 1:100) to control any infection that may have been brought in with these new items.
• Put an effective rodent control program into place.
• Bird proof your poultry house - block up holes or inlets where wild birds can gain entry to your poultry shed (see ‘Protecting poultry against wild birds’ below).
• Provide staff training and raise awareness of biosecurity issues.

Protecting poultry against wild birds

Wild birds should not be killed to fight bird flu, put an effective control and surveillance system into place to ensure that contact between wild birds and poultry is avoided or at least monitored. Ensure that poultry pens and poultry drinking water supplies cannot be contaminated by migrating birds. If this cannot be done, then making the drinking water safe, by appropriate treatment, is necessary. Following the thorough cleaning and disinfection of the water system, Viru-Gard, at a dilution of 1:1000, can be safely added to drinking water at the header tank or through a dosing system. This precaution will help prevent the water supply from acting as a vector for the transmission of the disease.

Avian Influenza Decontamination Procedures for Farm Premises

The following Avian Influenza decontamination procedures for the cleaning and disinfection of farm premises are consistent with the guidelines specified by The United Kingdom's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan (AUSVETPLAN) and the United States Department for Agriculture.

Farm Care International specialises in the environmental control of highly infectious diseases like Avian Influenza. The formulation of three of FarmCareGB's disinfectants have been independently tested and approved effective against the Avian Influenza virus:

Disease	Infectious Organism	Test Approvals	Dilution Rate
Avian Influenza	Orthomyxovirus	Viru-Gard	1:320
		Farm-Gard	1:320
		Ultra-Gard	1:300

 

The recommended dilution rates for decontaminating farm premises are based on Independent Test Approval Dilutions and differ from advice for biosecurity measures to prevent spread of infection. Independent Test Approval Dilutions assume disinfection on a clean surface with a minimum 10 minute contact time.

Procedures for Decontamination, Cleaning and Disinfection

Personal Protective Equipment

Prior to commencing the Avian Influenza decontamination program all personnel must be provided with and wear personal protective equipment comprising of:

• respirator face mask
• eye protection
• coveralls
• heavy duty rubber gloves
• rubber or polyurethane boots

First Disinfection

Once all birds/carcasses have been removed from the house, thoroughly disinfect all bird carcasses and remove for burning or burial. Spray disinfectant on all areas where there has been direct or indirect contact with the birds (buildings, cages, runs, etc). Thoroughly soak all nesting, litter and faecal material with disinfectant. Ensure disinfectant is sprayed on all interior walls, into roof spaces and voids.

External walls need only be disinfected where they face onto an area where infected birds have passed through or been kept (external surfaces and roofs are not required to be disinfected). Disinfectant must be left to soak into all surfaces, bedding etc for 24 hours.

Disinfect farm roads and footpaths thoroughly ensuring that any drains are sealed so as not to contaminate watercourses.

Secondary Disinfection

• Do not undertake secondary disinfection until at least 24 hours after the first disinfection has been completed.
• Remove all litter and dirt from the buildings to a manure heap, spraying the outside of the heap thoroughly with disinfectant. Leave the manure heap for at least 42 days prior to spreading or burn it off in small quantities.
• Dry clean and then disinfect ventilation and extractor systems by wiping with a cloth soaked with disinfectant. If the systems cannot be cleaned in situ, remove them, clean and disinfect them, and then put them back into place.
• Using Quat-Gardheavy duty cleaner in conjunction with a pressure washer (on a low pressure setting), thoroughly soak the floors, walls, ceilings, roof spaces, nest boxes, feeders etc of all buildings that have been in direct contact with birds. Remove any cobwebs and dust by either spraying or using an industrial vacuum cleaner.

Upon completion of point 4, all equipment should be degreased using Quat-Garddiluted at 1:250 (apply using a foaming lance).

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. Ensure that all equipment is then thoroughly disinfected.

The farm buildings, loading bays, paths etc should then be treated with disinfectant, leaving it to soak for at least 30 minutes before rinsing with clean water.

After seven days have passed, repeat the complete decontamination program and procedures once again.

Important Notes

• If a farm building has an earth, clay or chalk floor, it must be first scraped clean then the surface should be broken up and thoroughly soaked with disinfectant. Cobble or hardcore floors should be soaked with disinfectant and then rinsed. Any material scraped from the floors should either be burnt or removed to the manure heap.
• Wooden floors must be taken up and cleaned & disinfected if they are to be reused. The underlying soil should be broken up and soaked with disinfectant. Any timber or scrap wood such as pallets, old fence posts and sleepers not of good enough quality to be satisfactorily disinfected must be burned.
• When disinfecting out side pay particular attention to:
• Roadways
• Paths
• Gates
• Gateways
• Runs

For environmental awareness take care to avoid any solutions entering surface water drains or water courses.

• Pay particular attention to the cleansing and disinfection of any hired utensils, machinery vehicles and equipment, which may have been contaminated.
• Straw, baled hay, wood chippings and any paper should be sprayed with disinfectant. Any loose material lying around should be sprayed and then removed to the manure heap or burnt.

Persistent and Virulent Virus Biosecurity Programme

Outbreaks of serious diseases caused by viruses constantly face the broiler industry world-wide. All viruses can interfere with the efficiency of the immune response, but Immunosuppressive Viruses (ISVs) have a more specific action on the immune system. All viruses can cause disease in their own right; however their major impact on the poultry industry has been the ability of ISVs to allow other pathogens (mainly bacteria) to cause increased or new problems.

One of the most notable in recent years has been Very Virulent Infectious Bursal (Gumboro) Disease (VVIBD) which has been the cause of significant losses. Many other viruses including Marek's Disease, Myeloid Leukosis (ALV J-type), Newcastle Disease, Chicken Anaemia and Turkey Rhinotracheitis Virus Infections are also a significant threat. Although vaccination plays an important role in the control of some of these, disease frequently still occurs. Response to vaccination will be improved in a situation of low field challenge.

For additional protection or to gain the best from any vaccination program, use the Viru-Gard Virus Biosecurity Programme as follows:

A Viru-Gard Virus Biosecurity Programme

• Dry clean and remove equipment. Do not blow down dust. (see Stage 1 of Terminal Disinfection Program).
• Sanitize the water system. Use Viru-Gard at 1:200 (0.5%). (See Stage 2 of Terminal Disinfection Program).
• Virucidal pre-soak - make up solution of 1:200 (0.5%) Viru-Gard, sufficient to apply 500 ml/m2 of surface area. Using low pressure and a fan jet spray apply to all surfaces and leave for 30 minutes (see Stage 3 of Terminal Disinfection Program).
• Wash with water at high pressure.
• Disinfect using Viru-Gard diluted to 1:100 (1.0%) (See Stage 4 of Terminal Disinfection Program).
• Fog (See Stage 5 of Terminal Disinfection Program).

Below is a table showing the amount of product required to disinfect broiler house of different sizes. As a guide, total area which includes walls, floor and roof is 2.5 times the floor area.

Floor Area	Total Area to be treated	Volume of diluted product at 500ml/m2	Volume of Viru-Gard at 1:200 for pre-soak	Volume of diluted product at 300ml/m2	Volume of Viru-Gard at 1:100 for disinfection
500 m2	1250 m2	625 L	3.125 Kg	375L	3.75 Kg
1000 m2	2500 m2	1250 L	6.25 Kg	750L	7.5 Kg
1500 m2	3750 m2	1875 L	9.375 Kg	1125L	11.25 Kg

Note: Maintain Strict Biosecurity Precautions And Follow Site Security Instructions.

Salmonella And Campylobacter Programme

Salmonella and Campylobacter infections remain a serious problem to the broiler industry worldwide. Salmonella enteritidis isolations have increased significantly in recent years and pose threats to food safety. Other species, e.g. Salmonella typhimurium DT104 also can be resistant to antibiotics. Disinfection is a vital tool in the fight against these resistant organisms which can persist in the environment for many months.

For control select a disinfectant with proven activity against Salmonella. The formulation of FarmCareGB's Viru-Gard has been proven effective against Salmonella including Salmonella typhimurium DT104. Ensure that the correct dilution is used in all disinfection procedures. A number of points require particular attention in order to assure removal of these organisms from infected premises.

Terminal Disinfection

Follow the terminal disinfection program detailed. Ensure that the washing and disinfection at stages 3 and 4 are given particular attention, for example air inlets and fan boxes.

Vermin And Insect Control

Ensure adequate control of vermin, flies and other arthropods.

Site Security

Pay attention to all aspects of site security with particular attention to – footdips, wheel dips and hand washing.

Transport

Ensure that all transport used for chicken and chicken feed is disinfected with a product proven effective against Salmonella.