Delivery Protocol

Tested and Proven Biosecurity

STRICT BIOSECURITY regulations are the foundation of Babcock’s animal delivery protocol, to ensure the safest possible delivery of breeding stock. Babcock drivers always begin each trip with a clean uniform, coveralls, gloves, and boots. Clean boots are used at each delivery when multiple drops are necessary. All rubber boots, coveralls, and gloves are laundered and disinfected after each use.

DELIVERY VEHICLES and drivers have minimal contact with farm equipment, facilities, and employees. When loading animals, drivers avoid stepping into loading chutes, catwalks, load-out areas, or any area where barn employees would travel. Every precaution is taken to assure that once hogs enter the truck they are not allowed to return to the loading chute or loading area.

DELIVERY ROUTES are carefully planned and care is taken during transport to minimize exposure to other livestock and livestock trucks. When multiple drops are required, customers are instructed when and where to meet our truck at a central drop point. Breeding stock is delivered directly to a customer's farm or boar stud only when no other animals are on the truck. Before unloading animals, the unloading areas of our trailer and the loading areas of the customer's truck, trailer, or chute are sprayed with disinfectant. Additional precautions are taken with AI boars. These boars are delivered directly from the research farm to boar studs, with no other animals on the truck and no other deliveries made on that trip.

BEFORE RETUNING TO OUR RESEARCH FARM or any multiplier farm, trucks and trailers are washed twice, then disinfected. The first wash is to remove manure and bedding. The second wash is done with high pressure, hot water, and soap to remove anything left behind from the first wash. During this wash, careful attention is taken to clean the undercarriage, tires and wheels of both the truck and trailer. The inside of the truck cab is cleaned and disinfected, and floor mats are washed and disinfected.

OUR DELIVERY MANAGER, Gary Koehler, routinely inspects trucks and trailers after washing and before being disinfected to assure cleanliness. Trailers are inspected using a swabbing procedure and each sample is evaluated in a portable device known as a luminometer, a tool typically used by food processors to monitor cleanliness after clean up of equipment. A luminometer is used to measure the amount of organic residue in the form of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. Every known organism stores ATP as a reservoir of energy, and this compound occurs universally in all living cells. Whenever ATP is found in an environment, some organic matter can be assumed to be present. Trailers are swabbed at sampling points measuring about 3 inches square to check for organic matter. If the trailers pass the ATP test, they are disinfected - if not, they are washed again and retested, until they pass inspection.

ONCE BREEDING STOCK is delivered to a boar stud or customer farm, a strict isolation and acclimation schedule is highly recommended to ensure a safe transition into the new location.