Sanitisation must commence after the shed has dried post rinsing. This is determined by visual inspection of all surfaces within the shed. Dry surfaces prior to sanitisation will prevent dilution of the sanitiser due to the presence of moisture. If there is a heavy insect infestation, it is recommended a second round of insecticide is applied before sanitisation. There must be a sufficient gap between the second round of insecticide application and sanitisation to ensure complete drying and degradation of the insecticide. Most insecticides interfere with and neutralise sanitisers, thereby reducing their effectiveness. At least two days between sanitiser application and insecticide application is required.

Ideally, repairs and maintenance should be carried out after dry cleaning. However, where this is impossible, repairs and maintenance should occur before sanitisation. Any maintenance should be avoided after sanitisation. The movement of people and equipment after sanitisation will cause recontamination of surfaces within the shed. Before sanitisation, the farm manager/supervisor must sign off on the decontamination checklist. Only when all checklist sections have been signed off can sanitisation begin. A copy of the checklist has been attached to Appendix 3.

Sanitisers must be used as per the manufacturer’s recommendations. The mode of application, e.g. spraying, foaming or hosing, should also be as per the manufacturer’s recommendation. It is recommended testing strips provided by the chemical supplier be placed in the corners of the shed to detect the application of sanitiser on hard-to-reach surfaces (test strips measuring concentration levels are particularly useful). For example, with sanitisers that contain a glutaraldehyde and a quaternary ammonium compound, a paper test strip measuring the quaternary ammonium level is ideal.

A list of APVMA-approved sanitisers is detailed in Appendix 5.