Effective Disinfection for Better Animal Health
In modern livestock production, maintaining rigorous hygiene standards is essential for safeguarding animal health and supporting operational efficiency. Across dairy, swine, and poultry farming, targeted disinfection plays a critical role in limiting pathogen spread and reducing disease pressure.
Choosing the right disinfectant—based on efficacy spectrum, speed of action, and compatibility with farm workflows—is key to ensuring reliable hygiene management and enabling sustainable, high‑performance animal production.
Peracetic Acid for Disinfection in Animal Housing
Ensuring hygienic conditions in livestock environments is essential for animal health, biosecurity, and farm productivity. Peracetic acid is a powerful oxidizing agent that helps control pathogens in animal husbandry without leaving harmful chemical residues. Under the PERACLEAN® brand, Evonik offers high-performance peracetic acid solutions widely used in the cleaning and disinfection of facilities for dairy cattle, pigs, and poultry.
Peracetic acid is suitable for preparing livestock housing and enclosures before animal entry. It is also applied in the sanitation of water systems, milking parlors, robots, dipping clusters, transport vehicles, and CIP (cleaning-in-place) installations, helping to reduce microbial load and minimize the risk of disease transmission. These measures support both animal welfare and operational hygiene.
Additionally, peracetic acid has shown effectiveness against harmful organisms such as Erwinia carotovora (soft rot) and Ralstonia solanacearum (brown rot), making it a versatile solution in integrated hygiene management. After application, it breaks down into biodegradable components: water, oxygen, and acetic acid—ensuring minimal environmental impact.
The concentration and dosage of peracetic acid should be tailored to the specific application and comply with regional regulations. Microbiological testing is recommended to determine optimal treatment levels.
Peracetic Acid for Disinfection in Organic Animal Housing
Organic livestock farming prioritizes species-appropriate animal welfare, which includes larger stalls, bedding, and outdoor exercise areas. These conditions, while beneficial for animals, increase the need for effective hygiene management to prevent the spread of pathogens and reduce the use of antibiotics. In organic farming, synthetic chemicals are avoided wherever possible, making the choice of disinfectants especially important.
Peracetic acid, marketed under the PERACLEAN® brand, supports hygiene standards in organic animal husbandry through its strong oxidative properties and environmentally compatible profile. It is suitable for cleaning and disinfecting animal housing, equipment, and water systems—without leaving harmful residues.
A key advantage of peracetic acid is its reliable performance at low temperatures, including conditions below 10 °C. This makes it particularly effective for organic farms with outdoor housing or unheated facilities, where maintaining hygiene can be challenging.
Typical applications include:
- Preparation of animal housing and enclosures
- Disinfection of water systems and drinking lines
- Cleaning of milking parlors, robots, and dipping clusters
- Sanitation of transport vehicles and CIP (cleaning-in-place) systems
After use, peracetic acid breaks down into biodegradable components—water, oxygen, and acetic acid—making it a suitable choice for environmentally conscious farming operations. The concentration and dosage should be adapted to the specific hygiene requirements and comply with regional organic farming regulations.
Where Peracetic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide Support Livestock Hygiene
Our Product Portfolio
Discover the advanced formulation of HERLISIL, an effective disinfectant that harnesses the natural cleaning power of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) enhanced with a silver complex. Thanks to its innovative stabilizing technology, HERLISIL effectively combats biofilms in poultry watering systems and supports the delivery of clean, healthy drinking water for chickens.
OXYPUR® HRF is a powerful disinfectant that leverages oxidizing chemistry for effective and environmentally responsible cleaning. This innovative solution combines a specialized foaming agent with hydrogen peroxide to deliver deep penetration—even into fine cracks—without the need for rinsing. Its biodegradable formulation ensures versatile application across various surfaces, making it ideal for demanding hygiene standards.
Our peracetic acid biocides PERACLEAN® 5 and PERACLEAN® 15 are effective disinfectants with a broad application spectrum in the livestock farming. They are characterized by excellent activity against bacteria, bacterial spores, fungi, and viruses.
Applications include:
- Disinfection of animal housing equipment, especially suited for milking plants
- Disinfection of animal drinking water
- Disinfection of surfaces in animal stables
- Disinfection of livestock transport vehicles
Key Benefits of PERACLEAN®
- Aggressive against microbes, but gentle for animals
- Approved for organic animal husbandry according to EU organic regulation
- Broad efficacy against different microorganisms
- Fight pathogens and thus the spread of infections and loss of animals
- Leave no harmful residues
- Protect against the transmission of pathogens from one animal to another
- Protect the farmer from transmission of diseases
OXTERIL® hydrogen peroxide is an effective biocide that is especially used for the disinfection of water lines for drinking water.
