INVESTIGATIONS INTO OPTIMAL WASHING AND DISINFECTION TECHNIQUES FOR PIG PENS

Washing of pens or barns is a routine part of pig production. The reasons are numerous, but the main one is that washing removes bacteria, viruses and parasites left behind from the previous batch of pigs. Most diseases are dose dependent; meaning, the more pathogens pigs are exposed to, the sicker they will get. Washing the pens reduces the number of disease causing organisms and so the animals grow better and are healthier. In Table 1 below are the survival times of some common pig pathogens. The length of survival is dependent on degree of initial contamination, protection by organic matter and exposure to drying and sunlight (Hurnik, 1997). Generally, warm temperatures, drying and sunlight will kill pathogens, and moisture, darkness and cold (especially freezing) will preserve them. Table 1. Survival times of common pig pathogens.