Rodent risks highlighted at Pig & Poultry Show

Bayer have used their stand at the Pig & Poultry Fair to highlight the significant threats that rodents pose to stock health.

Ken Black, Bayer’s national account manager for rural hygiene explains;

"Pig and poultry farms are particularly susceptible to rodents due to the large amount of grain and feed on site." Ken Black, Bayer’s national account manager said.

"This abundance of easily accessible food attracts rats and mice, and even where farm biosecurity is strong, rodents are sometimes overlooked as an important route of disease infection as well as contamination."

"They can spread disease around an individual unit, as well as having the capacity to spread infection between neighbouring farms which is even more concerning."

"Rodents are known to carry approximately 45 diseases, including salmonella, pasteurellosis, leptospirosis, swine dysentery, trichinosis and toxoplasmosis. In an industry where health and biosecurity are paramount, it’s vital that rodents are kept under control."

Ken adds that the economic consequences can also be important. "Just one adult rat will eat 25-30g of feed a day or nearly 11kg per year; an infestation of 100 rats could consume nearly 1.2 tonnes per year."