An improved cleaning system to reduce microbial contamination of poultry transport crates in the United Kingdom

© 2020 The Society for Applied Microbiology Aim: Following previous research on improving the cleaning of crates used to transport broiler chickens from the farm to the abattoir, a demonstration project was undertaken to investigate improvements in crate washing on a commercial scale. Methods and Results: The soak tank of a conventional crate washing system was replaced with a high-performance washer fitted with high-volume, high-pressure nozzles. The wash water could be heated, and a greatly improved filtration system ensured that the nozzles did not lose performance or become blocked. Visual cleanliness scores and microbial counts were determined for naturally contaminated crates which had been randomly assigned to different cleaning protocols. Conclusions: When a combination of mechanical energy, heat and chemicals (i.e. detergent and disinfectant) was used, the results showed significant improvements to crate cleaning. Reductions of up to 3·6 and 3·8 log10 CFU per crate base were achieved for Campylobacter and Enterobacteriaceae, respectively, along with a marked improvement in visual cleanliness. Significance and Impact of the Study: Broiler transport crates may become heavily contaminated with faeces and this may contribute to the spread of disease between farms. The results of this trial may be of use in reducing the spread of zoonotic pathogens in the poultry meat supply chain