The most important measure in the hygiene regulations is the obligation to shower. After all, human-animal contact is one of the greatest risks related to introducing and spreading pathogens. Visitors and materials that have been in contact with other poultry are a potential vector of poultry diseases. From 1 July 2019 clean in, clean out (incl. showering on arrival and departure) will be a standard principle in IKB Kip. The best way to achieve this is by installing a walk-through shower facility (enter one end, leave the other).
Realising this will take time, so during the transitional period that ends on 1 July 2028 the following is acceptable:
- Each IKB Kip participant must provide a shower on the plot. Showers in, for example, the farmhouse (ordinary style shower) also count.
- No walk-through shower available on 1 July 2019? In that case, you must make maximum efforts to prevent cross-contamination. This includes measures such as providing shower slippers or avoiding situations where visitors have return to the unclean area of the premises to collect their own clothing and footwear. A walk-through shower must be available on 1 July 2028.
- It is up to the poultry farmer to determine what constitutes clean in and clean out. The poultry farmer and the visitor know the situation on site (and at that moment) best. If a shower is not taken, additional hygiene measures must be applied, such as a change of clothing, wearing a hairnet and a mouth mask.
- From July 2028, it will be mandatory for all visitors who enter the clean zone of a building to take a shower. A shower must also be taken when the visitor leaves the farm premises. Arrive clean, and leave clean.
