The most discarded and forgotten measurement on the farm – whilst it is probably the fastest, most simple and cheapest in order to prevent spread of bacteria – is to disinfect footwear and sanitize hands with antibactericidal hand soap. A very small effort that really should become an automatism among farmers and workers because recent studies have again clearly proven that farm boots samples are an important risk factor with a Salmonella prevalence of 19.7%! (Prev. Vet Med., 2011).
If disinfection baths are adequately used and located on strategic places, they are a good additional measure for the biosecurity of the farm. Additionally, the presence of foot baths draws the attention of staff and visitors to the importance of biosecurity on farm grounds (Amass et al., 2000; Pritchard, 2003).
Management of foot dip, barrier systems, hand and clothing hygiene is often the most overlooked and forgotten to prevent spread of bacteria. Automatic use of these systems should become second nature for hatchery staff and visitors as recent studies have again clearly proven that farm boots samples are an important risk factor with a Salmonella prevalence of 19.7%! (Prev.Vet Med., 2011).
