USDA Officials to View Poultry Sprayer System
Jeff Schwan developed this sprayer to disinfect poultry trucks
A sprayer system designed to cut down on the transmission of the Avian Flu Virus to poultry houses is garnering attention from the federal level.
This afternoon, officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture offices in Atlanta will be at Superior Shaving in Comer to view the system designed by Lavonia resident Jeff Schwan, owner of Farm Guard Systems, LLC.
They include veterinarian Dr. Cristopher A. Young, Incident Commander of the USDA’S Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service who is also the Assistant Director of the Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Red Team for Georgia and Florida.
Also attending will be veterinarian Dr. Joanna Davis, USDA APHIS Emergency Coordinator for Georgia, Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Both Drs. Young and Davis are expected to address the group on the latest efforts to prevent the spread of Avian Influenza virus in the Southeast.
Schwan has developed a disinfecting drive-through spray system that he says will kill the avian influenza virus on all vehicles entering and leaving a poultry farm.
The spray system consists of two over arching sprayers tall enough for any kind of commercial poultry truck to fit through with multiple sprayers on each.
Schwan said as the truck passes through it is sprayed with a mixture of Virocid disinfectant and water, both over and under the vehicle.
“The uprights are 14-ft wide and are 17-ft high and the sprayer nozzles go all the way to the top to cover the entire surface of the vehicle,” he said. “There are also six nozzles under the vehicle to cover the under carriage. There are 18 nozzles total.”
According to Schwan, each spray uses about a gallon per minute per nozzle at about 60 psi.
Schwan said the drive through spray system has been two years in development and his system will soon be patented.