Evaluation of a staged loadout procedure for market swine to prevent transfer of pathogen contaminated particles from livestock trailers to the barn

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of a staged market pig loading procedure for reducing contaminant transfer from livestock trailers to the barn. Materials and methods: A conventional loading procedure was compared to a staged procedure, with 10 replicates each. In the staged procedure, one loadout crew member was stationed between two lines of separation and could not cross onto the livestock trailer or into the center alleyway of the barn. The remaining loadout crew members within the barn could not cross into the loadout alleyway or chute. In the conventional procedure, a loadout crew member moved pigs from the center alleyway, through the loadout alleyway, and up the chute, but did not cross onto the livestock trailer. Fluorescent powder was mixed with obstetrical lubricant and wood shavings and spread evenly on the livestock trailer floor, just inside the roll-up door that opens to the chute. After each loadout, fluorescent powder contamination was evaluated at 8 locations: one in the chute, two in the loadout alleyway, and five in the center alleyway of the barn. Results: Four of five center alleyway locations had significantly lower contamination (P < .05) for the staged protocol compared to the conventional protocol. The level of contamination at the fifth center alleyway location was not statistically different (P = .057). The contamination level at all other locations was not statistically significant between the two groups (P > .05). Implications: The staged loading procedure effectively reduced the transfer of fluorescent powder from the livestock trailer to the barn.