This document was produced by MAFF as a specific response to the FMD outbreak in the UK in 2001 and was made available on their website. Risk Assessments and specific recommendations related to the conditions in the field at the time and should be viewed in this context as they may not be applicable to outbreaks occuring under different circumstances.
Foot and mouth disease
24 April 2001

FMD: Guidance on the Storage, Handling and Movement of Animal Manures and Slurries

The Foot and Mouth (FMD) virus is highly contagious and may be spread and introduced to farms or groups of farm animals by the spreading of animal manures. The virus can also be carried on wind blown particles of animal manures. Animal manures include slurry, dirty water (including parlour/dairy washings) and solid manure arising from susceptible animals.

It is important that when transporting and spreading animal manures the operation is managed to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with the advice note Guidance for Growers of Crops and Grass also on this website.

If you are in doubt about the current disease status of the area in which you farm please contact your local MAFF Regional Service Centre or State Veterinary Service Office.

Depending on the disease status of your premises, certain activities come under the responsibility of the Divisional Veterinary Manager (DVM) or his appointed representative. See list of DVM contacts.

How to use this Guidance Note

Everyone should read the 'BASIC PRECAUTIONS' box which includes general precautions relating to activities involved in the storage, movement and spreading of animal manures.

The remainder of the guidance is split into sections according to farm type and disease status as follows:

Non-Infected Farms outside Infected Areas

• Section 1 - Crops only
• Section 2 - Crops and susceptible livestock, or using manure from such livestock

Non-Infected Farms in Infected Areas

• Section 3 - All farms

Infected Farms (in Infected Areas)

• Section 4 - All farms

Previously Infected Farms (any area)

• Section 5 - All farms which were infected but where restrictions have now been lifted

BASIC PRECAUTIONS (ALL FARMS, ALL AREAS)

All farmers should observe the following basic precautions:

• It is imperative that you only allow access to your farm with prior permission. It is strongly recommended that visits are arranged by telephone, fax or email and that you advise all contractors or suppliers accordingly.
• Keep the number of visitors to the farm to the minimum necessary to do the job. Do not allow children to come on the farm unless absolutely necessary.
• Keep any visitors away from fields where susceptible livestock have been, are, or will be.
• If people or machinery coming on to your farm (particularly contractors) are visiting more than one farm in a day, it is in your interest to ensure that they leave visits to holdings with susceptible livestock until last and that you are aware of other visits that they may have made.
• Diaries should be kept recording details of all visitors, where possible noting the time of visit, which fields were entered, the route taken to the farm and fields and the operations carried out. The proximity to visitors of any susceptible livestock should be noted. Anyone who visits different farm premises during the course of their work should be encouraged to keep similar records.

For more detail of the definition of infected areas and restrictions applying please consult your local MAFF Rural Development Service Centre or State Veterinary Service Office and/or check the information available on this Website. Because of the changing nature of the situation it is important to keep up to date with the latest local information.

General Precautions

The FMD virus can be spread by movement of people, machinery and equipment in transporting and spreading animal manures.

General

• Follow good agricultural practices as described in the Water, Soil and Air Codes for operations involving storage, movement and spreading of animal manures.
• Observe any additional restrictions such as those applying in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.

Storage

• Temporary storage should be used until movement restriction orders are lifted.
• If it is not possible to spread animal manures and all storage is full, then seek advice from the Environment Agency on minimum requirements for short-term storage.

Movement

• Do not allow spillage to occur when transporting animal manure particularly on public highways.
• Wherever possible manures and slurries from susceptible livestock should be applied to the holding on which it was produced.

Spreading

• Do not spread animal manures unless it is necessary, but ensure any storage facility is not over-filled. Adequate freeboard must be maintained - this is the space between the level of slurry and the top of the store.
• For earth bank lagoons the freeboard is 0.75 m.
• For other concrete or steel constructed stores the freeboard is 0.3m.
• Do not overfill tankers or spreaders.
• Keep equipment clean and washed down.
• Do not allow animals to come into contact with the animal manure, particularly when operating or spreading on premises other than your own.
• Avoid windy days when handling and spreading animal manures, as this increases the risk of windborne spread.

SECTION 1 - Non-Infected Farms outside Infected Areas without livestock

• Observe the Basic Precautions above.

If you have a crops only farm (ie. without any susceptible livestock whatsoever and not using manure from susceptible animals) the spreading of animal manures can proceed as normal. No additional restrictions or special cleaning requirements apply, though good agricultural practice should always be followed.

SECTION 2 - Non-Infected Farms outside Infected Areas with livestock

• Observe the Basic Precautions above.

If you also have susceptible livestock (including any for non-commercial purposes), or use manure from susceptible livestock, there are still no restrictions on animal manure spreading you may carry out on your farm. But you should ensure that all people or machinery entering or leaving the farm are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected following the guidance in Annexes 1 and 2 to this note. This is particularly important when they have come from another farm with livestock, whether in an infected area or not.

SECTION 3 - Non-Infected Farms in an Infected Area

• Observe the Basic Precautions above.

You should ensure that all people or machinery entering or leaving the farm are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected following the guidance in Annexes 1 and 2.

The Declaratory Order sets out the rules that apply to the movement and spreading of animal manures in the infected area:

Storage

• If you are unable to spread animal manures for any reason and your storage facilities are full then contact the DVM.

Movement

• Do not move animal manure produced by susceptible livestock in or out of the infected area.
• Solid manure that has been composted or batch stored for 42 days prior to movement may be moved after approval by the DVM.
• Do not allow spillage to occur when transporting any animal manure either on a highway or premises other than those on which the manure was produced.
• Thoroughly clean and disinfect immediately, before and after use, the equipment used for transporting and/or spreading of the animal manure.
• The outside surface of machinery and equipment, including wheels, must be disinfected immediately before and after transporting manure on the public highway.

Spreading

• Where soil conditions permit and there are no risks of environmental damage, injection of slurries may be preferable to surface spreading.
• Where possible manures and slurries should be applied to land used for growing arable crops.
• Do not apply slurries or farm manures to grazing land, unless susceptible livestock can be withheld for at least 21 days.
• Do not discharge slurry (by definition this includes dirty water/parlour and dairy washings) unless it is directed downwards at not less than a 45 degree angle from the horizontal, and at a height of not greater than 1.0 m.
• Maintain large droplets of slurry (including dirty water, parlour/washing water) to minimise the risk of aerial dispersion of the FMD virus.
• Do not apply animal manures during windy conditions.
• Adapt vacuum tankers so that the spread of liquid is contained to avoid 'atomisation'.
• Do not empty the vacuum tanker completely of liquid at the end of each load.
• Set low rate irrigation systems to give large droplets. If necessary, angle discharge nozzles downwards.
• It should not be necessary to spread solid manures.

SECTION 4 - Infected Farms in an Infected Area

• Observe the Basic Precautions above.

On infected farms, or farms where disease is suspected or being investigated (Form A and Form D), special restrictions will apply at the direction of the DVM on the basis of a risk assessment. No farming operations of any kind should be undertaken without prior permission (including work by contractors).

• Form A Restrictions:
  
  • No animal manure can enter or leave the premises.
  • No spreading can be undertaken unless granted by licence issued by the veterinary inspector appointed for the infected premises.
• Form D Restrictions:
  • All animal manure must remain on the premises unless a licence is issued by the DVM.
  • No slurry can be spread or discharged by jet or spray unless a licence is issued by the DVM.
  • If there are any problems resulting from the storage or spreading of animal manures then immediately contact the DVM.

If the premises under the above restrictions have off-lying land entirely separated from the main holding, then seek guidance from the DVM as to what are acceptable practices regarding animal manures. Anyone visiting such land should obtain permission from the DVM beforehand and before carrying out agreed field operations.

SECTION 5 - Previously Infected Farms (any areas)

• Observe the Basic Precautions above.

Once statutory restrictions have been lifted field operations will be able to resume as normal subject to observing the appropriate conditions for the surrounding area (subject to the cleaning and disinfection procedures detailed at Annexes 1 and 2). The DVM may place additional restrictions onto the transport, storage and spreading of animal manures.

Annex 1

Disinfecting Procedures

See list of approved disinfectants.

The following instructions apply to all personnel, whether farm employees or contractors, when visiting premises to carry out activities relating to animal manure operations.

Personnel

Section 1 (and Section 5 where the farm is no longer in an Infected Area)

• All visitors to farms should only visit with prior permission, and should declare previous visits to other farms. All footwear and machinery should be clean before entering and before leaving the premises.
• Setting up adequate disinfecting facilities at the point of entry can help to reduce the risk of transfer to other vehicles.

Sections 2 and 3 of main note (and Section 5 where the farm is still in an Infected Area)

Where susceptible livestock is present, or where animal manure from susceptible livestock is used, all personnel and visitors should, in addition, clean and disinfect footwear and machinery before entering and again before leaving the premises.

VISITS TO INFECTED FARMS (ANY AREA)

Section 4 of the main note

• All entries, exits, vehicle or machinery movements will be subject to DVM direction.

Annex 2

GUIDELINES FOR CLEANING MANURE HANDLING AND SPREADING EQUIPMENT

The guidelines below are for the removal of material adhering to machinery. Once clean, machinery should be sprayed with an approved disinfectant before it is moved to other premises, or to other parts of the same holding that involves travel over public highways or tracks. On arrival at new premises cleaning and disinfection should clean road wheels and all new dirt collected during transit.

• The tractor and animal manure tanker or spreader equipment should be thoroughly cleaned before use. Removal of all foreign matter is vital if contamination is to be avoided or for disinfection to be effective. Foreign matter includes animal manure, soil, whether as mud, caked dry deposits, fine soil dust on greasy layers, fine soil dust in crevices or any vegetative material caught up anywhere. Old rags, sacks and twine should also be removed. When using machinery on outlying parcels of land, cleaning and disinfection procedures may be logistically difficult. It may, however, be possible to utilise farm sprayer rinse tanks, knapsack sprayers or to adapt water bowsers for this purpose.
• Where machinery is used entirely within the boundaries of any farm, cleaning and disinfection is not required to move from field to field. But if such field to field movement involves the crossing of any public road where there is open access, cleaning and disinfection is required as if entering new premises. As a minimum this must include removal of animal manure and disinfection of the tyres. Soil carried onto the roadway should be swept up and returned to the field from which it came.

Troublesome areas on equipment associated with animal manure handling activities are likely to be:

• Outside of Equipment - All surfaces of the tanker or spreader should be washed down with particular attention to the outlet nozzle of the tanker or discharge point of the spreader.
• Wheels - All wheels will accumulate animal manure and soil from the field if rutting occurs. Always check the inner wheel rim surface, close to any stub axles or frames.
• Tyres - Mud left on tyres and thrown from tractor and implement wheels at speed accumulates on all implements and contaminates roads. It is essential that all tractor wheels are thoroughly washed before moving off.
• Footwear - The footwear of machinery operators, should be demonstrably clean and free from adhesions and disinfected as required. Clean the inside of the cab to ensure for example that animal manure and other soil material is not carried on the pedals. If necessary disinfect the inside of the cab. Remember to disinfect before entering the cab for the last time before leaving the premises.