It is crucial in the fight against infectious diseases in the agricultural and livestock sector, which can have serious economic and social consequences. Its main objective is to protect the health and welfare of animals. It is, of course, about biosecurity.

Biosecurity may involve different activities, depending on the type of farm. The most important procedures include:

1. Limit contact with wild animals – Farmers should limit contact with wild animals as they can spread diseases to livestock.

2. Animal health monitoring – regular veterinary examinations and laboratory tests help detect diseases at an early stage.

3. Disinfection and cleaning – growers should keep farm areas clean and use disinfection procedures such as washing hands, clothing and equipment.

4. Control of access to breeding sites – access to breeding sites should be limited and persons entering the breeding area should undergo veterinary checks.

5. Application of appropriate procedures during transport – transport of animals should take place in conditions that minimize the risk of infection, and persons transporting animals should use appropriate biosecurity procedures.

6. Appropriate handling of waste – Farmers should ensure proper handling of waste, such as faeces, to minimize the risk of contamination.

7. Education – all farm employees should be properly trained in biosecurity and aware of the risks associated with infectious diseases.

Disinfection on animal farms is extremely important in the context of biosecurity, because it prevents the spread of pathogenic microorganisms in the animal and human environment and reduces the risk of future infectious diseases. Before disinfection, clean and remove any organic debris such as faeces, feed residues or hair. Only after thorough cleaning of the surface, you can proceed to disinfection.

For disinfection on animal farms, special disinfectants are usually used that are effective against viruses, bacteria and fungi. The most commonly used disinfectants are chlorine, formaldehyde, iodine, organic acids, ozone and hydrogen peroxide.

The most important parameter when choosing the right disinfectant is the active contact time between the biocidal preparation and the disinfected surface. A very important aspect is that the agent has a long-term effect on pathogenic microorganisms. For this reason, preparations containing silver nanoparticles are a very good prospect in the context of disinfection as a component of biosecurity. Nanomaterials are characterized by a high surface area to volume ratio, so their specific surface area is much larger than in the case of other materials. Silver nanoparticles are known for their antiseptic and biocidal properties, and disinfectants containing them allow for disinfection in the presence of animals.

Compliance with the principles of biosecurity allows you to significantly reduce the use of antibiotics. This is a very important aspect in the context of the fight against antibiotic resistance, which in recent years has become a serious problem among livestock breeders.

Bibliography:

[1] M. Pomorska-Mól, Disinfection in a piggery, an important element of pig health protection (part 1), “The large animal clinic” 65, 2022, No. 2, p. 4-12

[2] G. Woźniakowski, K. Kwiecińska, A. Tokarz, T. Bigaj, K. Polowczyk, Innovativeness and biocidal effectiveness of silver nanocomplexes on the example of the domestic product Silveco+, “Życie veterinary” 97, 2022, no. 6

[3] Z. Pejsak, M. Truszczyński, Biosecurity – the basic way to protect animals against infectious diseases, “Życie Veterynarcyjne” 92, 2017, No. 6