Herd clearance
Herd clearance
From isolation of affected herds to depopulation.
Isolation of affected herds
Farms on which notifiable disease has been identified must be isolated and contained to prevent unauthorised access. This is necessary to prevent the risk of onward spread of disease through fomite spread by people or on equipment and vehicles. In addition certain methods of depopulation, especially killing by whole house gassing, can pose a risk to human health and safety.
We have trained personnel and equipment to secure the premises against unauthorised access and our depopulation protocols incorporate the use of noxious gas monitoring equipment which provides warning alarms if gas levels become dangerous for human operators and staff within the depopulation areas.
Methods of depopulation
For the officially ordered killing of animals in the herd, the provisions of Regulation (EC) 1099/2009 must be observed.
The following procedures can be carried out by us:
For poultry:
- CO2 whole house gassing
- Introduction of live animals into CO2 atmosphere
- Placing live animals in containers flooded with argon/CO2
- Electrocution by means of mobile water bath killing systems
- Killing by injection
For pigs:
- Placement of live animals in containers flooded with argon/CO2
- Electrocution
- Killing by injection
Staff standby
In the event of an officially ordered stock clearance, it is of great importance that sufficiently qualified personnel can be made available within the shortest possible time.
Within the framework of standby contracts, we take on the following tasks:
- Training of personnel for animal disease control measures
- Occupational health preparation of personnel
- Provision of personnel on call within agreed time limits
- Provision of suitable protective clothing
- Provision of respiratory protection and filtering equipment
