Visiting a farm this bank holiday weekend?

Apri21

With South Northamptonshire being a rural district, many people will be visiting open farms over the bank holiday weekends, often with children.

Our Environmental Health team is reminding everyone not to rely on sanitising hand gels and wipes to protect themselves against germs that may be present in animal dirt around the farm.

To reduce the risk of illness and an outbreak of disease due to bugs such as E.coli, both adults and children should thoroughly wash their hands using soap and water after they have handled animals or touched surfaces at the farm. Gels and wipes alone are not guaranteed to remove bacteria like E. coli O157 that is in dirt.

The following tips can help make a farm visit an enjoyable and safe one:

Do not put hands on faces or fingers in mouths while petting animals or walking round the farm, nor eat anything that has fallen on the floor.
Do not kiss farm animals nor allow children to put their faces close to animals.
Do not eat or drink while touching animals or walking round the farm. This includes not eating snacks, crisps or chewing gum. Eat and drink in picnic areas or cafes only.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you have touched animals, fences or other surfaces in animal areas or before eating or drinking.
Supervise children closely to ensure that they wash their hands thoroughly.
Remove and clean footwear that might have become soiled and clean pushchair wheels.