Temperature can have a dramatic affect on the performance of disinfectants.
Simple and unformulated disinfectants are less effective in colder temperatures and this can affect disease levels on the farm in winter. However testing protocols can vary greatly from country to country and temperature and level of organic challenge will greatly affect the efficacy of a disinfectant. This method provides realistic conditions for a disinfectant that is to be used outside in cold conditions and where there is heavy soiling. Therefore, conditions should particularly be taken into account when interpreting product data, as the outline of testing protocols illustrate on the table below. When disinfecting livestock buildings during the colder winter months, a farmer needs to be confident that the products used are going to be effective.