How can disinfection work on farms be done properly?

The animal excrement, secretions and animal carcasses produced by livestock and poultry farms attract large numbers of mosquitoes, flies, rats, wild birds and others, and breed huge amounts of pathogenic microorganisms. The soil, water sources, air and humans around the farm site can all become media for the spread of pathogens. It can be said that animal diseases constantly threaten the health of livestock and poultry on farms, and once an animal disease breaks out, it is too late to take measures. To reduce the pathogenic microorganisms in the surrounding environment where animals live, prevent pathogenic microorganisms from infecting animals, and prevent and control the occurrence of diseases, "disinfection" is an effective measure for farms.

Disinfection means using physical, chemical or biological methods to remove or kill pathogenic microorganisms in the external environment, so as to reduce the pathogenic microorganisms in the surrounding environment where animals live to the lowest possible level, cut off the transmission routes of animal diseases, and thereby effectively control the occurrence and spread of various animal diseases.

There are four commonly used disinfection methods on farms: first, mechanical removal, such as cleaning, washing and brushing, and ventilation to remove pathogens, which is the most common and most commonly used method; second, physical disinfection methods, such as ultraviolet lamps, exposure to sunlight, fumigation disinfection, steam disinfection, and burning of contaminated materials; third, biological heat disinfection, which uses the heat produced by microbial fermentation to kill pathogens, mainly used for the harmless treatment of manure; fourth, chemical disinfection, that is, using chemical disinfectants for disinfection to kill pathogenic microorganisms.

Farms should carry out disinfection in the following aspects.

1. Disinfection of entering and leaving personnel. Do not let outside personnel enter at will. When personnel enter the farm area, they must strictly follow the disinfection procedure: change clothes, change shoes, and only after spray disinfection and ultraviolet lamp irradiation disinfection may they enter.

2. Disinfection of livestock and poultry houses. After each batch of livestock and poultry is moved out, the livestock and poultry house must be thoroughly cleaned, washed with water, and then spray-disinfected or fumigated. Only after an interval of 5-7 days may the next batch of new livestock and poultry be moved in.

3. Environmental disinfection. The environment around livestock and poultry houses should be regularly disinfected with 2% caustic soda or by spreading quicklime; around the livestock and poultry farm and at the sewage pools, manure pits and sewer outlets within the farm, bleach powder should be used regularly for disinfection. The disinfectant in the disinfection pools at the main gate and the entrances of livestock and poultry houses should be replaced regularly.

4. Disinfection of equipment. Regularly disinfect incubators, feed carts, feed boxes, needles and syringes, etc. They can be disinfected with 0.1% benzalkonium bromide or 0.2-0.5% peracetic acid, and then fumigated in a closed room.

5. Disinfection with animals present. Chlorine-containing disinfectants can be used regularly for disinfection with animals present, which helps reduce pathogenic microorganisms in the environment. For disinfection with animals present, do not use aldehyde disinfectants; aldehyde disinfectants have irritating and fixing effects on human and animal mucous membranes and can cause sensitization. When live vaccines are administered by spraying, drinking water, needle injection or other routes, it is best not to carry out disinfection, so as to prevent the disinfectant from causing the live vaccine to become ineffective.

6. Disinfection of manure storage sites. Livestock and poultry manure should be transported to manure storage tanks far from the farm area and stacked for fermentation uniformly on hardened cement ground. The surroundings of the manure storage site should be disinfected regularly, and 2% caustic soda or spread quicklime can be used for disinfection.

7. Disinfection of diseased carcasses. After livestock and poultry die of disease, harmless treatment such as deep burial and incineration should be carried out. At the same time, the pens, isolated rearing areas and other places where they were originally kept should be thoroughly disinfected immediately to prevent the spread of disease.

Regular and standardized, comprehensive disinfection on farm sites can play a very important preventive role, but disinfection work is not omnipotent, and it must also be combined with other comprehensive prevention and control measures such as good feeding management, immunization and medicinal health care; one must not rely excessively on the role of disinfection. Zhu Yuyan