Reducing Risk During Loading and Unloading of Pigs

Transcription

1 MINIMIZE RISK OF SPREADING PORCINE EPIDEMIC DIARRHEA Reducing Risk During Loading and Unloading of Pigs Biosecurity considerations for transfer chutes 1

2 TRANSFER CHUTES The purpose of this document is to provide the reader with some risk reduction options. The Ontario pork industry is very diverse and therefore one size does not fit all but the concepts can be applied to any farm. In order to maintain biosecurity standards, tansfer chutes are used as pigs enter and exit buildings and vehicles. The idea is that the incoming chute and yard area has clear separation from the outgoing chute and yard area. On the farm or system level the incoming truck would be dedicated to the farm and would not transport other farms pigs. Pigs do not stay at this facility and it is designed so that one way pig movement is accommodated. Driver unload and load protocols are key to preventing any cross contamination of incoming and outgoing areas. Protocols should be developed with the assumption that the outgoing trailer is contaminated and poses a risk of disease transmission. If this building is newly constructed the ability to wash and disinfect the building and the chutes should be incorporated into the design. Transfer chutes make sense for larger farms or systems that have internal transport options. The primary focus of risk reduction would be transport of cull sows. A transfer chute with incoming and outgoing loading chutes 2 1

3 Shipping pigs from a swine farm brings a risk of introducing diseases from the transport truck and the driver. The load-out facilities involved are the point of entry for these diseases. To reduce this risk, a transfer chute establishes a biosecure buffer between the transport truck and the pigs in the barn. Outlined below are some transfer chute design ideas that could help improve biosecurity. COMPONENTS For the transfer chutes shown below, the following assumptions are made: Anywhere outside the barn has the potential to be dirty. This would include the empty truck coming in, the driver and all of the outside yard. A Danish entrance (as opposed to a shower-in facility) can be a key barrier to disease transfer to separate the dirty zone (outside the barn) from the clean zone (within the barn). The transfer chute can be made permanent and located at the barn or a distance from the barn. As an alternative, the chute can be mobile by mounting it on a trailer to allow the transfer to take place at different locations. It incorporates a short loading chute with a Danish entrance on both sides of this chute, one side for the trucker and one side for the producer. Both producer and trucker enter their respective sides of the structure, go through the Danish entrance and then load pigs from the clean side of their entrance. After loading, the chute and the entire area can be washed and disinfected if deemed necessary. It can be a small structure built as a stud-walled shed. An alternative, as shown in the diagrams, is to use a small (20 long) intermodal steel shipping container as the building shell and modify it for this purpose. Such containers are about the right size, readily available, sturdy, and only require a small amount of renovating. If bought used, they are relatively inexpensive. Three different layouts are shown below. Two are stationary structures. The third is a moveable structure mounted on a trailer. EXTERIOR The transfer chutes shown are based on a standard 20 long x 8 wide intermodal shipping container. They sit on 4 x 4 x 2 precast concrete blocks, a common size offered by many ready-mix concrete plants. A ladder is shown as a means to the entrance doors. Alternatively, a set of stairs could be built. (Doors are not shown for clarity.) INTERIOR The width of the loading chute is determined by the width of the doors and chutes on the farm and the width of the door on the transport truck. On the diagrams, a 3 wide chute is a shown which is a standard width for moving six finishing pigs at a time. A 2 wide chute can work but is more appropriate for moving only three pigs at a time. To enhance pig movement, concrete should be poured in the chute floor so that the pigs do not balk at walking on an unfamiliar material. The chute should be well lit without glare and without shining in the eyes of the pigs. The chute sides are plastic panels, 3 4 high in the working (clean) side of the Danish entrance but go from floor to ceiling on the entrance (dirty) side for greater biosecurity. The Danish entrance area includes hooks on the walls on which to hang outer jackets on the dirty side and clean coveralls on the clean side. The bench must be closed underneath to prevent any material on the floor from moving from the dirty to the clean side. Ideally it should be of plastic construction for cleanability. A sign explaining biosecurity protocols can be posted on the wall above the bench. A suggested poster is included with the back cover of this brochure. In operation, the trucker and the producer enter their respective entrances, remove their outerwear (coats, hats) and then sit down on the bench. They remove their footwear, swing their legs over the bench into a waiting pair of boots on the clean side. The bench is made 24 tall to enhance this swinging motion and avoid stepping back onto the dirty side floor with their sock feet. A bottle of disinfectant is placed on the bench to clean the hands. 2 3

4 PERMANENT TRANSFER STRUCTURE WITH A CROSS CHUTE The permanent transfer structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be located at the barn abutting the loading chute from the barn or, for greater biosecurity, it can be located at some distance from the barn. In this case, the pigs are brought to the structure with an on-farm transport (trailer, bus, etc). The chute goes across the width of the container and is only 8 in length. The Danish entrance is of a generous size. FIGURE 1: PERMANENT TRANSFER STRUCTURE, CROSS CHUTE FIGURE 2: PERMANENT TRANSFER STRUCTURE, CROSS CHUTE, INTERIOR VIEW 4 5

5 PERMANENT TRANSFER STRUCTURE WITH A LONG CHUTE An alternative to running the chute across the container is to run it the length of the container as shown in Figures 3 and 4. This increases the chute length from 8 to 20 and allows the structure to be installed with a difference in elevation from one end of the chute to the other if necessary. Ideally, the lower the slope of any pig chute, the better the pigs will walk up it. If 10% is assumed to be the maximum desirable slope, running the chute lengthwise will allow for a maximum elevation difference of 3 4 over the 20 length. This layout does lead to a narrower width for the Danish entrance alleys (see Figure 4) if using the standard 8 wide shipping container as the structure. * * Displayed measurements assume an outer wall thickness of 2 inches. FIGURE 3: PERMANENT TRANSFER STRUCTURE, LONG CHUTE FIGURE 4: PERMANENT TRANSFER STRUCTURE, LONG CHUTE, INTERIOR VIEW 6 7

6 PORTABLE TRANSFER CHUTE It may be desirable to have the transfer chute mobile so that it can be drawn to a location (or multiple locations) remote from the barn but returned for washing and disinfecting. In Figures 5 and 6, the container has been mounted on a farm wagon for transport. As with the layout from Figures 1 and 2, the chute goes across the container to avoid any conflict with the tongue at the front of the wagon. FIGURE 5: MOBILE TRANSFER CHUTE FIGURE 6: MOBILE TRANSFER CHUTE, INTERIOR VIEW 8 9

7 TRANSFER CHUTES / PLATFORMS It is not uncommon for pigs to be moved truck to truck. The idea is to reduce the risk of having an external truck backing up to the barn loading chute. In most cases bumper contact occurs during a truck to truck transfer. If a transfer chute / platform is used then this structure acts as a buffer between internal and external trucks therefore reducing the risk of the transport event. Transfer chutes can be built on wheels or be permanent structures. The key to risk reduction is excellent control of incoming and outgoing trucks and foot traffic controls. Separate lane access is important as is one way movement of pigs. Having the opportunity to wash and disinfect between transport events is ideal. All protocols should be developed assuming the outgoing truck is contaminated and poses a risk of disease transmission. Transfer chutes / platforms could be used anywhere where truck to truck transfer is occurring. The images to the left show a hydraulic or electrical loading chute combined with a catwalk installed on the side of a truck that could be used to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Using a catwalk, the farmer can exit the truck cab, walk along the side of the truck and lower the chute and transfer the pigs without touching the ground. Chute being lowered Catwalk folded up for transport Bus Option The same type of system will also work for a bus; however, the farmer is able to move from the front to the back of the bus without a catwalk

8 NOTES Biosecurity Protocols INSIDE 12 13

9 Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board t ONT.PORK ( ) f Southgate Drive Guelph, ON N1G 5G6 ontariopork.on.ca