How better hygiene can improve productivity

Poultry and pig producers are being advised to review hygiene protocols to reduce the risk of pathogenic infections affecting performance.

Better hygiene and disinfection procedures are seen as a key way to maximise biosecurity and reduce productivity losses – including those resulting from sub-clinical health issues.

“Monogastric units remain at risk of a broad spectrum of pathogens where infections can compromise performance,” says Dan Clow, pig and poultry specialist with food safety company Neogen.

“In poultry units we typically see reduced growth, rate of lay, egg quality, duration of lay or mortality. In pig units, growth and feed conversion will typically be reduced under pathogenic challenges.”

Batch rearing

One problem is that the previous batch of pigs or birds will have been exposed to micro-organisms that may have caused disease. While older animals may fight off the challenge, chicks or young birds and piglets will not tolerate them so well.

All too often poor performance, especially poor feed conversion ratio (FCR) is put down to feeding, but in many cases will be due to sub-clinical pathogenic infections, says Mr Clow.

“Cleaning and disinfection will always be a key pillar in monogastric farm biosecurity. A foam detergent will help remove soiling before applying disinfectant. Disinfectants that combine a high initial kill rate with a long-lasting residual action are ideal.

“Over time, however, routines have tended to become increasingly standardised and the time available to remove litter and other organic material, to clean and then disinfect is becoming tighter.”

This means that simpler programmes are being used on many farms, says Mr Clow, including farmers who are adopting higher chemical rates as a standard procedure “just to be sure”.

“In addition, time constraints may mean that target application contact times are seldom achieved, or stages are simply cut out, reducing the effectiveness of cleaning and disinfecting.”

Pathogens are also changing – so routines must evolve to deliver optimum disinfection. All pathogens, and in particular viruses, are constantly mutating, allowing them to adapt to pH sensitivity, says Mr Clow.

Avian influenza strains are particularly adept at this.  At the same time, there are peaks and troughs in particular problems. Salmonella and coccidiosis have been particular challenges this year.

“All units are unique, with differing combinations of pathogenic challenges, facilities and environment so we would advise reviewing cleaning protocols before every new crop to ensure they are as effective as possible.”

Mr Clow regularly reviews cleaning protocols. “It’s about developing an effective routine that is practical within the time constraints and delivers a good return on investment,” he explains.

By identifying specific problems, it is possible to refine the existing programme to increase its effectiveness. Investing more time in removing biofilm from floors, for example, can lead to better standards of disinfection.

Changing dilution rates might also to reduce the amount of a disinfectant used. Alternatively, it might be more effective to use a combination of disinfectants, as opposed to a single product.”

Mutating pathogens

Chemical disinfectants are constantly evolving to meet the challenges of mutating pathogens alongside tighter environmental and health and safety regulations. Selecting the appropriate mix of chemistry will improve the efficacy of cleaning protocols.

“When using a combination of disinfectants, it will be important to use them at the correct concentration and in the right order.  I would also advise verifying the cleaning processes by measuring adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

This can be done after terminal cleanout and before bedding is put down. This simple test indicates the levels of live pathogens remaining after disinfection and can provide a measure of the effectiveness of existing and enhanced routines.