A spotless empty food-production hygiene area at the end of a shift, stainless surfaces receding into shadow.

Biosecurity Protocols

Products fail most often because a step before them was skipped. These protocols set out the sequence, checks and records for the jobs that decide outcomes on animal premises and in yards. Each one names where a product fits, and where habitat, cleaning or timing does more.

Disinfection protocols

Four protocols cover the pathways pathogens use to move onto and around a site. Terminal cleandown sets the order of dry clean, wash, dry and disinfect between flocks or batches. Water line sanitation covers biofilm removal with animals absent and residual maintenance during production. Footbaths and entry points covers the line of separation, boot hygiene and bath maintenance. Vehicle and equipment disinfection covers trucks, trailers and shared tools, where organic load and drying time are the usual failures.

Pest management protocols

Three protocols cover arthropod pests on premises and in yards. Integrated mite management in layer houses combines monitoring, cleandown timing and premise treatment for poultry red mite. Tick yard zoning covers habitat changes and edge treatment in residential landscapes. The perimeter barrier protocol covers exclusion, sanitation and band treatment for ants and cockroaches. Where these reference Vegalab products for uses not yet on the label, they are marked as in development.

Resistance and records

Rotation and resistance management applies across both groups: mode-of-action rotation for acaricides and insecticides, and the limits of rotating disinfectants. Every protocol ends with verification, such as swabs, mite traps or tick drags, and a record that lets you see whether the program is working. Use the dose calculator for dilution arithmetic and always follow the product label. Protocols are written for site managers and service technicians and can be adapted to a site plan, with the order of steps kept intact.

Key facts

  • Cleaning to remove organic matter must precede disinfection for disinfectants to act (WOAH Terrestrial Code, ch. 4.14).
  • Using a registered pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling is unlawful (FIFRA Section 12(a)(2)(G), 7 U.S.C. 136j).
  • Insecticide and acaricide resistance is managed by rotating mode-of-action groups (IRAC Mode of Action Classification Scheme).
  • Resistance of Dermanyssus gallinae to several acaricide classes has been documented in European layer flocks (Sparagano et al. 2014, Annu Rev Entomol 59:447).

How our delivery technology applies

Protocols define when a product is applied; encapsulation defines how long it stays active once there. A stabilized chlorine dioxide powder removes the generator step from water and surface protocols. For arthropod programs, multi-layer shells extend botanical residual from days toward weeks, which changes the reapplication interval a protocol has to plan for.

Need a protocol adapted to your site? Contact our biosecurity team.

Footbaths and Entry Points

A footbath on its own is a weak barrier, because manure on boots consumes the disinfectant and most people step through in seconds.

Related reading

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