The UK egg sector has made significant progress in Salmonella control, supported by producers, packers, vets, the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), Lion Code standards and vaccine adoption2,3,4.
This collective approach has helped protect human health and maintain consumer confidence in British eggs. But as layer performance continues to improve and average cycles extend towards 100 weeks, maintaining that success means vaccine protection needs to keep pace.
Supporting longer laying cycles
While Salmonella risk remains low thanks to the sector’s strong control measures, longer laying cycles create a need for protection that continues later into lay5.
This should consider both Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) and Salmonella Typhimurium (ST), as Salmonella control is more than SE protection alone.
AviPro™ Salmonella Duo provides direct dual-strain protection against both SE and ST1, helping producers maintain effective Salmonella control as laying cycles continue to extend.
The role of AviPro Salmonella Duo
AviPro Salmonella Duo is the UK’s first and only licensed in-lay dual-strain Salmonella vaccine1.
When a fourth dose is administered at around 50 weeks of age, it provides protection for up to:
- 100 weeks against Salmonella Enteritidis (SE)1
- 94 weeks against Salmonella Typhimurium (ST)1
This builds on the previous three-dose vaccination programme, which provided protection for up to 68 weeks against SE and 62 weeks against ST, helping address the protection gap created by longer laying cycles.
Practical adoption of in-lay vaccination
Many producers already have strong Salmonella control programmes in place, supported by vaccination, biosecurity, veterinary advice and industry standards.
For producers and packers weighing up the need for an additional dose, the question is not whether Salmonella control measures are working, but how best to ensure they remain effective as production cycles evolve.
Administered in drinking water, the fourth dose of AviPro Salmonella Duo offers:
- Protection later into the laying cycle
- Direct dual protection against both SE and ST1
- Zero-day egg, meat and offal withdrawal after the fourth dose, with no linked loss of production1
- Practical administration as part of a vet-led flock health plan
A fourth dose provides continued protection later into lay, helping protect flock health, business continuity, food safety and confidence in the UK egg sector.
Producers should speak to their vet about how the fourth dose of AviPro Salmonella Duo could fit into their flock health plan. With recent BEIC communications and the Lion Code derogation providing a recognised route for use in Lion-assured flocks, where appropriate, Elanco can provide tailored vaccine use guidance and training around administration.
1 AviPro Salmonella Duo SPC
2 O’Brien S. J. (2013). The “decline and fall” of nontyphoidal salmonella in the United kingdom. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 56(5), 705–710. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/cis967
3 British Egg Industry Council – Our History. https://britisheggindustrycouncil.com/history/#19711986 (accessed on the 11th March 2026)
4 Wigley, P. (2024). Salmonella and the chicken: reflections on salmonellosis and its control in the United Kingdom. Poultry Science and Management, 1(1), 1.
5 Elanco data on file. (2025) REF-29014. Shaun Cawthraw, APHA Weybridge, personal communication