Reducing the spread
of Foot and Mouth Disease (F&M)

A BCVA Member's Experiences and Observations:

Stop all livestock movements. Any animal, any movement - this is absolutely essential No vehicle should enter any farm or livestock premises.

Vets must always park their vehicles outside the farm periphery.

All deliveries should be cancelled, if some deliveries are essential then take precautions.

Only use suppliers who you know and trust Contact supplier before he delivers. Insist that lorries are clean and disinfected; find out where the vehicle will go before it delivers to your premises. Ask him to park outside the farm. 

If the lorry is not clean to your satisfaction when it arrives, send it away before it comes onto the farm premises. Try to unload deliveries at the farm gate and move the goods to the farm store using a farm vehicle. 

For milk collection consider if there is any way you can transfer the milk to the collection lorry at the farm gate, without it entering the farm. 

Milk collection lorries pose a very high risk. 

Milk can be very heavily infected with FMD virus. 

If you see any visible traces of milk on the outside of the lorry send it away. 

If you have to let a vehicle onto the farm then use any type of power washer or spray to clean it first, outside the farm gate, concentrating on the wheels and wheel arches. Consider carefully if you are producing an aerosol of water particles that could carry FMD onto the farm. 

The vehicles of those living on the farm and farm staff should be parked outside the farm once they have left the premises. 

Do not let any people onto your farm No one should enter the farm. 

If there are essential visitors make sure that they take the same precautions that are given for Vets (below). Do not let people walk across fields. 

Those living and working on the farm should not visit any other livestock sites. 

Showering and washing clothes immediately on return will reduce the chance of bringing virus back onto the farm. 

Protect Feedstuffs 

Feedstuffs can be a source of FMD virus if they have been exposed to infected animals. 

Make sure that livestock of unknown status do not have access to feeds and forage, or graze pasture that your stock will use or that will be used for forage conservation. 

Don't buy in feeds that have been on other farms. 

Protect livestock from Neighbouring animals Make sure that livestock do not have access to neighbouring cattle through fences, shared water sources etc. If in doubt, move stock to a safer part of the farm where direct or indirect contact with other stock is impossible. 

Meat and Dairy Products are a Risk. Normal pasteurisation of dairy products may not kill the FMD virus. Meat products that have passed all health inspections may still carry the FMD virus Make sure that all waste meat and dairy products from farm households, lunchboxes etc are disposed of carefully and that there is no chance that they may reach livestock from rubbish or be carried around he farm by dogs etc. 

Precautions for Vets: Vets provide a very big risk for bringing FMD onto premises. Vets must never bring their vehicles onto the farm. Park outside the farm gate. Vets must keep cars clean, a daily automated car wash with under car washing is recommended. 

Clothes washed in a normal washing machine pose very little risk that they will carry FMD virus. Taking a decent shower will considerably reduce the chance of a person carrying the virus. 

However humans can carry the virus in their throats for up to 96 hours (See BCVA sheet 4 for TVI advice. CP). Ideally vets should wait 96 hours between contacts with cattle. This may be impossible, but with reduced workloads during the FMD crisis it may be possible to arrange workload to give as long an interval as possible between farm visits. The longer you wait between visit, the less the chance of FMD virus being carried in this way. 

If you think you may pose a risk to a client by visiting his farm, tell him. He may wish to reschedule depending on how urgently he needs you. 

Disinfection
It is essential that for all disinfection purposes:
a disinfectant approved by MAFF for FMD is used.
Make sure it is used properly: 
CHECK users are following the instructions on the label.

REMEMBER that cleaning before disinfection is vital.

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