Rodent Control Vital
(Continued from Pag* A 1)
Industry representatives,
together with careful research
undertaken by USDA and exten
sion, have shown a strong link
between SE positive tests on flocks
and SE in rodents.
Snader discovered that, using
the rodent index established by
USDA-APHIS, Dutch Country
once had a severe infestation, with
25 mice or more captured per
house. This high infestation was
battled effectively using a closed
bait system with systematically
changed bait material.
Within a short time, the rodent
index indicated the problem was
under control, from 25 mice down
to five mice per house in a week.
“We have made a difference in
controlling mice in the layer
houses,” said Snader.
The critical part of rodent con
trol is making sure the traps are set
properly, inspecting the baits and
mating the count on a scheduled
basis, and changing the bait active
ingredients every three to four
weeks.
Snader emphasized the impor
tance of “staying after” mice.
“We have taken one giant step
in controlling SE. It’s possible. It
works."
Scott Buckwalter, manager of Espenshade Farms,
told the producers it’s important to keep the rodent
index “up to snuff.” Also, traps should be placed
anywhere there is a possible mice infestation, includ
ing under the roof.
Buckwalter said that, in his experience, Espen
shade keeps a careful check of the index rating to
keep rodent control, and thus disease, in check on the
farm.
Dr. David Henzler, epidemiologist with the SE
Pilot Project/USDA-APHIS-VS operations center,
woiked on a program involving more than a hundred
volunteer farms and the effectiveness of rodent
indexing.
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What they studied was the effec
tiveness of rodent indexing and
how several different rodent con
trol programs compare to each
other.
What researchers know is that
mice are a significant source and
amplifier of SE in successive
flocks, even after thorough clean
ing and disinfection (C&D) of the
houses.
In the rodent index category,
less than 10 mice per week per
house in the traps indicates a low
infestation, moderate infestation
equals 11-25 mice per week per
house, and 26 mice or more per
house per week indicates high
infestation.
A significant finding, according
to Henzler, is that with a high mice
infestation, producers were four
times more likely to have SE on the
farm.
The researchers studied a varie
ty of baiting systems, including
open and closed baiting and
nonexistant baiting.
The most significant discovery:
a closed baiting system, using dif
ferent active ingredients on a regu
lar basis, rotating no less than once
a month, with closed traps every
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Dr. Bonnie Buntain, direc
tor of the USDA Pre-Harvest
Food Safety Agency.
30 feet or less, was most effective
in reducing mice populations in
houses. The closed bait systems
use PVC pipe with a VA -inch
inside diameter and measure 18
inches long. The traps must be
placed everywhere, including
below the houses and in any spaces
above, because mice will crawl
anywhere.
Dr. Bob Eckroade, University of
Pennsylvania New Bolton Center
Laboratory of Avian Medicine and
Pathology, said that food safety
remains an issue that must be
addressed.
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i*i
> t
Date Snader, Dutch Coun
try Egg Farms.
Even though the issues are often
blown up in the media, and every
body thinks they are at risk, said
Eckroade, they are, to some
degree. “Foodbome illness is on
the ‘front burner,’” said Eckroade.
Eckroade showed an advertise
ment that ran in a local newspaper
for a law firm that handled lawsuits
for people who are victims of SE
poisoning.
Although SE has claimed the
media spotlight the past several
years, Campylobacter, also a bac
teria present in poultry, is perhaps
as big or as large a problem.
P'l
Larry Weaver, Seltzers
Spraying, WHmer.
While the old cliche about
“cook it properly and it will be
absolutely safe” still holds true,
consumer groups pressure the gov
ernment to handle the problem at
the producer level.
And while it is not feasible to
completely eradicate all foodbome
pathogens, with the advent of the
Pennsylvania Egg Quality Assur
ance Program (PEQAP), already
there has been effectiveness in
controlling national SE outbreaks.
Eckroade cited the work of the
SE Pilot Project and USDA/
(Turn to Pag* ASS)
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