With the Government’s lifting of the restrictions on the movement of livestock to abattoirs outside the protection and surveillance zones, Chief Veterinary Officer Debby Reynolds, “urged all farmers to take the highest level of biosecurity measures and to follow the conditions of the movement licenses in every respect. Farmers are now allowed to resume sending their animals for slaughter to abattoirs with strict biosecurity measures, and they can arrange for the collection of dead animals from farms, but farmers' markets and the movement of animals across roads are still banned.”

It is with this new development in place that leading biosecurity company DuPont Animal Health Solutions is offering advice and sharing vehicle biosecurity best practice via the website www.ahs.dupont.com and telephone hotline 0800 316 8060. The DuPont website offers a full Abattoir Disease Control Programme which includes details of how best to disinfect and clean livestock vehicles.

The need to control the risk of the highly contagious Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus spreading via livestock vehicles is paramount as they proved to be a major source of transmission in the 2001 FMD crisis. It is a Government requirement that all livestock transporters must carry out full clean and disinfection programmes before and after animals are picked up to be taken to the abattoirs.

DuPont Animal Health Solutions, the UK’s leading animal biosecurity company and manufacturer of DEFRA Approved FMD disinfectants and cleansing products is already supplying highly effective disinfectants and cleansing products around the UK. Importantly, DuPont’s Virkon® S has been put through its paces by MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) – the UK’s official vehicle engineering and testing body – and been shown to have “no significant long-term effects on the common materials used in vehicle applications”.

With over 30 years experience of combating FMD, DuPont is supplying farmers, abattoirs and DEFRA with emergency supplies of the DEFRA-approved disinfectant Virkon® S and high levels of support and expertise via their staff and website www.ahs.dupont.com

Company spokesperson, Mark Blackwell MRCVS, announced that, “DuPont Animal Health Solutions has mobilised our extensive resources in response to the FMD outbreak with the aim of protecting farmers’ livelihoods. We are working extremely hard to help farmers, livestock haulage companies, abattoirs and DEFRA to reduce the threat of FMD via our proven biosecurity programmes and through the provision of FMD DEFRA Approved and MIRA tested disinfectant Virkon® S.”

Mark continues, “We ask all farmers and abattoirs to contact us if they need information on how best to carry out a full and effective vehicle biosecurity programme. We are here to offer our advice and expertise on how best to prevent the disease from spreading. Please call our FMD Hotline on 0800 316 8060 or via a visit to the DAHS website www.ahs.dupont.com”.

DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

TheCattleSite Newsdesk