Foot and Mouth advice for farmers, walkers and horse importers

The Department advises farmers to review their biosecurity practices. Leaving aside Foot and Mouth Disease there is no doubt that future improvements in general herd health will require far greater attention to be paid to farm gate controls and general farm hygiene. There is no better time than now to establish new practices.

The farm gate:

Keep it shut:

• There is no easier way to prevent unnecessary visitors
• Put your telephone number on the gate

Provide a postbox at the gate:

• Postmen drive from farm to farm – this is an avoidable disease risk

Visiting other farms / sales:

Arrive with clean boots, clothes and hands

Arrive with clean vehicles especially wheels and clean machinery:

• dung spreads disease - keep yours at home!

If you regularly work on a friend's farm - why not leave boots and overalls there?

Leave the farm as clean as you arrived.

Holding a sale:

Request all clients arrive in clean vehicles and clothing

Provide a bootwash:

• Hosepipe and brush off soil first
• Ensure disinfectant is replenished
• Contamination with animal dung will stop disinfectant working and render a boot-dip useless

Stock wagons should arrive clean

Leave the sale as clean as you arrived.

Accepting Contractors:

Require contractors to:

• Arrive with clean boots
• Arrive with clean machinery

Contractors move from farm to farm, they are a clear disease risk that can be reduced by simple practices

Hauliers:

Collect animals together before the haulier arrives:

• Don't leave other animals in the same pen
• Don't ask the haulier to tag or sort the animals
• Don't allow the haulier to unload animals in transit onto your farm

Load the animals yourself

Best practice is to provide a loading bay outside the farmyard

Arrive clean - leave clean!

Visitors:

Visitors to the Island must ensure all outdoor clothing is clean on arrival.

All walkers:

• Ensure all footwear is spotlessly clean
• Use any disinfectant footpads or other facilities provided by the landowner
• Keep dogs on a lead where there may be livestock

• Do not stray from rights of way onto grazing land
• Do not walk amongst livestock
• Never touch or handle livestock
• Never discard food in the countryside – take it home!

Arrive Clean : Leave Clean!

If you are intending to bring horses into the Isle of Man from the UK which have been in contact with susceptible stock (cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or camelids) then the horses must go to premises where they can be kept away from such susceptible stock for a period of 7 days.

Wagons must be fully cleansed and disinfected on arrival at their destination and the horse's hooves picked out and disinfected.

A list of suitable disinfectants can be found via the related link.