Advanced Biosecurity Measures for Enterococcus Control

The BroilerNet project involves a bottom-up approach to identify challenges and innovation needs for broiler farmers in Europe, and to collect promising and already successfully implemented Good Practices to meet the challenges in questions. The top Good Practices selected by experts within the three thematic areas (animal health management, animal welfare and sustainability) have been summarized in factsheets.

This Good Practice (GP) focuses on the control and  mitigation of Enterococcus, a persistent pathogen that poses a significant threat to bird health, welfare, and farm profitability.

It outlines a comprehensive, multi-layered biosecurity strategy implemented across a large-scale production system involving 50 million birds per year.

Enterococcus strains can lead to increased mortality, lameness (e.g., femoral head necrosis, spondylitis), and systemic infections in broiler flocks. Their ability to persist in biofilms within water systems and porous surfaces makes conventional sanitation insufficient. Therefore, this GP emphasizes prevention, environmental control, and microbial exclusion.