Livestock Housing Disinfection Protocol

Periodic cleaning and disinfection of animal housing is one of the most cost-effective biosecurity measures on a livestock farm. This protocol describes, in the correct order, the removal of organic matter, cleaning with a foaming alkaline detergent, rinsing and the disinfection of surfaces with a biocide registered for livestock environments, observing the safety interval and ventilation required by the technical data sheet before restocking the animals. It applies to cattle, pig and poultry buildings, and to animal transport vehicles and equipment.

Materials required

• Foaming alkaline degreaser: Gras Foam (2-6 %, 20-60 °C) or, for burnt-on or heavily encrusted soil, Gras Foam Pro (2-6 %, 20-60 °C)
• Foaming acid descaler for limescale on drinkers and walls: Acid Foam (2-5 %, 20-60 °C)
• Disinfectant registered for livestock environments: InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero (registration 11551-P; 0.2 % to 100 % depending on use, 30 minutes of contact)
• Disinfectant for the milking parlour and milk-contact surfaces: Bacter 100 (1-5 %, 5-15 minutes)
• Pressurised water and foam projection equipment or sprayer
• Stiff-bristle brush, scraper, broom and shovel
• Immersion tub for utensils and removable parts
• Personal protective equipment and record sheet

Step-by-step procedure

1. Emptying and removal of organic matter: Remove the animals and clear out manure, bedding, straw and feed residues. Dismantle drinkers, feeders and partitions that can be cleaned separately. Sweep or scrape coarse soil from floors, walls and structures. The less organic matter remains, the more effective the following steps are.
2. Soaking with water: Wet floors, walls, ceilings and equipment under pressure to soften adhered soil.
3. Cleaning with alkaline foam: Apply Gras Foam diluted at 2 to 6 % in water at 20-60 °C with the foam projection equipment, covering all surfaces from bottom to top so that the foam does not run over dry areas. Allow the foam to act without letting it dry and brush corners, joints and feeders. On surfaces with burnt-on grease or hard-to-remove soil, use Gras Foam Pro at the same dose and temperature range. Do not apply either on aluminium.
4. Rinsing: Rinse with pressurised water from top to bottom until no foam or soil residues remain and the run-off water runs clear. Alkaline detergent residues interfere with the subsequent disinfection.
5. Periodic descaling (if limescale is present): When drinkers, tiles or walls show limescale deposits caused by water hardness or by alkaline cleaning, apply Acid Foam at 2-5 % at 20-60 °C, allow to act for a few minutes and rinse with pressurised water. It does not attack aluminium or stainless steel. Never mix the acid product with the alkaline one.
6. Draining: Allow water to drain from the surfaces and remove puddles. Standing water dilutes the disinfectant and reduces its effective concentration.
7. Surface disinfection: Apply InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero by spraying onto floors, walls, ceilings, partitions and structures. The technical data sheet sets the dilution according to the objective and the level of contamination: 100 % as a bactericide for surface disinfection, 4 % as a fungicide and 80 % as a virucide. Cover the whole surface uniformly and maintain 30 minutes of contact time.
8. Disinfection of removable items: Immerse drinkers, feeders, tools and small parts in a solution of InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero at 0.2 % as a bactericide by immersion, with 30 minutes of contact, and allow to drain. The same items can be treated at 4 % if the objective is fungicidal.
9. Safety interval and ventilation: Observe the safety interval given in the data sheet before restocking: 6 hours after application as a virucide or as a bactericide on surfaces, and 3 hours after application as a bactericide by immersion or as a fungicide. Open doors, windows and extraction to ensure optimum ventilation of the building before reintroducing the animals.
10. Milking parlour and milk-contact areas (dairy farms): After cleaning with alkaline foam and rinsing, disinfect surfaces and equipment with Bacter 100 diluted at 1 % (10 g/l) for 5 minutes as a bactericide, or at 5 % (50 g/l) for 15 minutes as a bactericide and virucide against enveloped viruses. Rinse with plenty of water in both cases.
11. Record: Record date, building or batch, products, dilutions, contact times, end time of application, restocking time and person responsible. This is the proof that the safety interval has been observed.

Verification and control

Before disinfecting, check visually that no manure, feed or foam residues remain on any surface, including the undersides of feeders and the joints of partitions: a disinfectant applied over soil does not perform as stated in the data sheet. After disinfection, verify that the 30 minutes of contact and the safety interval of 3 or 6 hours have been observed, and that the building is ventilated. On farms with a microbiological control programme, sampling of drinkers, feeders and floors allows batches to be compared and the dilution of InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero to be adjusted to the actual level of contamination.

Safety and PPE

• Protective gloves, clothing and eye protection while preparing and applying all products: Gras Foam, Gras Foam Pro and Acid Foam cause severe skin burns and serious eye damage as concentrates
• Respiratory protection in case of insufficient ventilation when applying Gras Foam as foam, as stated in its data sheet
• Waterproof boots and clothing for work with pressurised water
• Never mix chemical products with one another, in particular the alkaline degreaser and the acid descaler
• The disinfectants are biocides for professional use: follow the label and the safety data sheet, and keep containers closed and out of reach of unauthorised persons
• Prevent animals from entering during application and until the safety interval has elapsed

Recommended Instaquim products

Cleaning: Gras Foam is the reference foaming alkaline degreaser for heavily greased floors, walls and surfaces, applied by foam projection, spraying, immersion or manually at 2-6 % and 20-60 °C; Gras Foam Pro, more powerful, is reserved for burnt-on grease and hard-to-remove soil. Acid Foam completes the cycle by removing limescale deposits. Disinfection: InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero is a quaternary ammonium bactericide, fungicide and virucide registered under number 11551-P for installations and surfaces related to animal housing and transport, which complies with standards UNE-EN 1656:2020 and UNE-EN 14349:2013 (bactericidal), UNE-EN 1657:2020 (fungicidal against Candida albicans and Aspergillus brasiliensis) and UNE-EN 14675:2015 (virucidal against Bovine enterovirus type 1). Bacter 100, indicated in its data sheet for farms and the dairy industry, covers the milking parlour and milk-contact surfaces. Milking hygiene: iodine teat sealants such as Iod Pv are applied undiluted to the teats and form part of the milking routine, not of the installation disinfection protocol.

Applicable regulations: Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 on biocides (the disinfectants mentioned are registered products for professional use), Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 CLP for labelling and hazard statements, Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 REACH and Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 on detergents. On dairy farms, the hygiene of milking installations falls under Regulations (EC) No 852/2004 and 853/2004 and the farm's HACCP system.

Frequently asked questions

Which disinfectant should be used in a livestock building and at what dose?

The catalogue product registered for this use is InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero (registration 11551-P), a quaternary ammonium bactericide, fungicide and virucide for installations and surfaces related to animal housing and transport. The data sheet sets the dilution according to the objective: 100 % as a bactericide on surfaces, 4 % as a fungicide, 80 % as a virucide and 0.2 % as a bactericide by immersion of items, always with 30 minutes of contact.

How long must I wait before putting the animals back in?

The data sheet of InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero establishes a safety interval of 6 hours after application as a virucide and as a bactericide on surfaces, and of 3 hours after application as a bactericide by immersion and as a fungicide, in addition to ensuring optimum ventilation of the building before restocking. This interval must not be shortened even if the surfaces appear dry.

Is an iodine or glutaraldehyde disinfectant suitable for the livestock building?

The current Instaquim catalogue has no livestock housing disinfectants formulated with glutaraldehyde or iodine. The iodine products in the livestock range (Iod Pv, Iod Pro) are teat sealants applied undiluted to the teat before or after milking; they are not surface disinfectants and are not diluted for spraying installations.

Why must the building be cleaned with detergent before disinfecting?

Because organic matter (manure, feed residues, grease) protects the microorganisms and consumes the disinfectant. The data sheet of InstaBact® 3000 Uso en entorno ganadero states that the dilution depends on the type and level of contamination; a clean, rinsed surface allows work under the conditions for which the UNE-EN standards cited by the product were tested.

Which detergent is used for the prior cleaning?

A foaming alkaline degreaser such as Gras Foam, diluted at 2 to 6 % in water at 20-60 °C and applied with foam projection equipment, by spraying or manually. It must not be used on aluminium. For heavily encrusted soil there is Gras Foam Pro, with the same dose and temperature range.

How is limescale removed from drinkers and walls?

With a foaming acid descaler such as Acid Foam, diluted at 2-5 % at 20-60 °C, leaving it to act for a few minutes and rinsing with pressurised water. It is indicated for limescale deposits caused by water hardness and by alkaline cleaning, and does not attack aluminium or stainless steel.

Which product is used in the milking parlour or in milk-contact areas?

For surfaces and equipment on farms and in the dairy industry, the Bacter 100 data sheet expressly indicates it: 1 % (10 g/l) with 5 minutes of contact as a bactericide, or 5 % (50 g/l) with 15 minutes as a bactericide and virucide against enveloped viruses, rinsing afterwards with plenty of water. It complies with standards UNE-EN 13697 and UNE-EN 14476 under clean conditions.