A bright future: The use of Far UV as a disinfectant in the livestock industry—Feasibility studies in the dairy and poultry sectors

Farm animal health and welfare has been described as a priority issue in discussions about the future of agricultural policy in the UK. Livestock diseases pose threats to the environment, animal welfare, public health and the economy. Only a limited number of measures developed to combat infectious disease in livestock have been successful and there is a need for more effective control measures.

Ultraviolet (UVC) light disinfection systems have been used for many years, due to their efficacy in eliminating pathogens, but were previously unsuitable for direct exposure to humans and animals due to potential damage to the skin and eyes. Far UV technology operates at 222nm wavelength and does not reach live cells in the epidermis, hence does not cause negative effects, yet retains effectiveness in eliminating pathogens. Far UV is currently used in non-agricultural settings to disinfect public spaces and has shown efficacy against a wide range of viruses and bacteria including human coronaviruses, _Escherichia coli 0157_, Influenza viruses, Methicillin-resistant _Staphylococcus aureus_ and has been proven to reduce the overall bacterial count following exposure.

Far UV has not been formally trialled in live animal agriculture in the UK and therefore presents a unique opportunity to investigate its possible uses in livestock disease control. Feasibility studies will focus on the dairy and broiler poultry sectors to represent ruminant and monogastric industries where endemic and epidemic diseases lead to major financial losses.

The poultry study will focus on the lobbies from which barns are accessed. To assess whether disease transmission into barns can be reduced, Far UV devices will be deployed and environmental swab samples will be taken before and after Far UV exposure. We will also trial Far UV wands to disinfect footwear.

In the dairy setting we will focus on calf housing disinfection potential.

The efficacy of Far UV will be assessed by measuring microbial counts that also can be used as a proxy for efficacy against viruses: Recent research shows that viruses are more sensitive to deactivation than bacteria and can be eliminated at much lower doses of Far UV than what will be used in this study.

This research presents a unique opportunity to develop innovative Far UV based disinfection methods effective against a range of pathogens, including multidrug resistant bacteria, and could form part of more effective disease control programs in the future.