BPEX is asking pig producers to check their cleaning and disinfection (C&D) routine at its next BPEX Live online workshop on Monday, June 24 at 7.00pm.
Have they used the same C&D routine for years? Can they be sure it really works? Could improvements save them money?
Health co-ordinators Louise Wall and Fiona Roberts have been swabbing clean’ pig pens on units around the country to check for bacteria. Their findings will be discussed during the workshop.
Fiona and Louise have been taking a before-and-after’ swab from the floor and walls of a pen. The swabs are designed to identify the presence of any salmonella and enterobacteria, and the aim is to help producers make any necessary changes to improve the C&D routines to reduce the amount of bacteria present in the environment.
“This is a very useful test because these two common types of pathogens are likely to be found if a pig area hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned, so they are useful as indicators that other pathogens may also be present,” explains Fiona.
Once swabs have been taken, the samples are cultured, following which BPEX is able to identify whether or not any bacteria were found.
“The results so far have demonstrated that key contact points, such as feeders, drinkers and arcs, are prime locations where newly introduced pigs can be exposed to bugs from the previous group or individual,” Fiona adds. “This may seem obvious, but it can help producers to target C&D activity to key areas if a full clean down isn’t possible or practical – for example, in outdoor or continuous systems.”
Producers, vets and members of the allied industry can log on to the workshop from the comfort of their own home or office. Simply register at: www.bpex.org.uk/news/events/webinars.
For anyone unable to tune in live, the presentation will also be available afterwards at the same address. PIPR points will be awarded for attendees who are PIPR members.
