Kärcher to provide practical help and advice for the poultry industry to prevent the spread of Bird Flu

New helpline and website offer farmers practical advice on boosting biosecurity

16 February 2007 Kärcher has launched a user-friendly website and helpline to advise farmers on how best to protect their farms and livelihoods from the latest outbreak of Avian Influenza in the UK.

"Having spoken to our customers since the outbreak, it's clear that many don't know who to turn to for advice on protecting their businesses," explains Kärcher's managing director, Simon Keeping. "There's no shortage of information emphasising the legal requirement to carry out regular disinfection, but little practical guidance on the appropriate equipment for each task so we decided to set up a website and helpline to do just that."

The site: www.karcher.co.uk/poultry uses simple icons to identify the most appropriate disinfection equipment based on the size and location of the farm. Alternatively, farmers can call the helpline on 01295 752033 to discuss their particular situation.

First to commend Kärcher on its non-nonsense approach to biosecurity was Andrew Hignett, managing director of Hy-Line UK, who urged farmers to take every precaution to reduce its spread.

Speaking from the company's Millennium Hatchery in Warwickshire, Andrew commented: "Over the past few years, farmers have been living on a knife edge with bird flu just the latest crisis we've had to face. As one of the most advanced hatcheries in Europe, biosecurity has always been high on our agenda but right now it's our top priority. Washing down our poultry houses, yards and farm trucks every day is an absolute necessity for us. We have been using Kärcher pressure washers and steam cleaners for years now and they've never let us down. I'd strongly urge farmers, wherever they are, to carry out daily disinfection as a precautionary measure."