Page 6 - National Poultry Newspaper

Getting rid of salmonella – get the best out of your sanitisers
Vet’s
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by ROD JENNER
Photo: SAK Industrial Cleaning
IN my previous Nation- al Poultry Newspaper article I discussed the risk factors for salmo- nella incursion on your farm and some of the key prevention and control measures that should be implemented in order to remain sal- monella-free.
This month I will delve into the world of sanitis- ers to ensure you get the best out of them.
In general, salmonella is quite susceptible to a wide range of commonly used sanitisers, but many factors can have a nega- tive impact on the effec- tiveness of a sanitation program.
The bottom line is the sanitiser must be in an active form and make physical contact with the bacteria in order to be effective.
Simple?
Or not simple?
Let’s look at the factors that can get in the way of a successful sanitation program.
First, are you using a sanitiser that is effective against salmonella?
How do you know?
Your chemical supplier should be able to provide you with technical data to support this.
The label is also a good source of this informa- tion.
So the chemical is cor- rect – what can go wrong? Technical trials to evaluate the efficacy of sanitisers are conducted in very controlled labo- ratory conditions, rarely seen in the environment
around a chicken farm.
A number of variables can negatively impact on the performance of sani-
tising chemicals.
Water quality can have
a seriously detrimental impact on the effective- ness of sanitisers.
PH, hardness, nitrate levels, iron levels, con- ductivity and organic load are all known to lessen the efficacy of sanitisers.
Water quality can change over time, espe- cially bore water, so it’s worthwhile having your water tested annually.
The concentration of the sanitiser has a big im- pact on its performance also.
Bacteria have the ca- pacity to be resistant to sanitisers in much the same way as they do
for antibiotics, so using a sanitiser at a dilution below its recommended concentration could re- sult in a population of resistant bacteria on your farm, making your sani- tisers less effective.
Mixing two or more chemicals is not good practice because it is pos- sible that both will be inactivated by the other.
So the chemical is mixed correctly – what else needs to be done?
As mentioned at the start of this article, the application of the sani- tiser must result in direct contact with the organ- isms.
Sanitising dirty or dusty surfaces is largely inef- fective because dust, ma- nure and biofilms in wa- ter lines provide very ef- fective protection against contact with a sanitiser.
Washing down to re- move the bulk of physical dirt and organic matter and providing a clean surface prior to sanitising is critical to achieving a good kill rate.
Wooden and porous surfaces are notoriously difficult to sanitise as the surface provides excel- lent protection.
In these cases, soaking or drenching with the chemical is key to getting a good result.
Your veterinarian and chemical supplier can provide valuable as- sistance to ensure your cleaning and sanitation procedures are highly ef- fective.
IDL 2400 Litter
Conditioner
Benefits
• Exchanges litter location in one pass
• Extends litter quality periods
• Reduces frequency of litter conditioning
Features
• Heavy duty
• Hot dip galvanized
• Hardened skid plates
• Suitable on all floor types
Patented
3 Years R&D
1 Year Warranty
Australian Made
Designed by a grower for growers
Enquires: Don Logan, Hardmyle Pty Ltd M: 0429 985 233 E: hardmyle@bigpond.com ABN 67 136 476
Page 6 – National Poultry Newspaper, July 2019
www.poultrynews.com.au