The most common protocol for biosecurity at the end of a growing cycle in poultry barns is a wet clean followed by a wet disinfection, all applied by high pressure spray – and a final fogging step for some. It has been reported that the use of high-pressure sprays can result in pathogens being blasted into an aerosol and transferred far away elsewhere instead of being killed.

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The use of a high foaming detergent at the cleaning stage is an alternative that is used by some poultry farms. Foam is applied at fairly low pressure and remains stable on the surface for several minutes, softening soil and trapping dust.

The use of a naturally foaming disinfectant is another option, which also offers longer contact time for disinfectants and opens up the possibility of cleaning and disinfecting in a single step – although there is also some scepticism about whether one wet step can be thorough enough in dirt removal and subsequent disinfection.

France-based Axcentive has been working on guidelines to offer another option to poultry farmers who depend on the proven efficacy of Halamid for disinfection but would like to use a softer, foaming approach.

Arno Schut, technical manager, explained: “We are not coming with a new product at this stage. We wanted simply to identify commercially available detergent products which are high-foaming and technically compatible with Halamid, to be able to recommend to our customers.”

Following screening and lab tests, a leading product is Diversey Shureklean Plus VK-10, which also gave good performance in early field testing with basic equipment.

Mr Schut added: “We have more work to do here and are planning a full field trial to check practical efficacy but a draft protocol is already available and we’re confident that farmers can get good results in a very pragmatic way by simply mixing the right detergent in as they dissolve the Halamid into solution already. Successful results depend on correct dosage but also using the appropriate foaming nozzle and equipment”.

Further information on Halamid can be obtained from www.axcentive.com, by emailing [email protected] or by calling the sales office on +33 442 694 090.