An appliance for the handling of barrels which have in the region of the barrel mantle a bung plate with a bung opening, is to be reusable and is to permit an intensive automatic handling of such barrels. This appliance has for this purpose a casing forming a first tight seat, a riser tube connected with the casing, extending into the barrel interior to near the wall of the barrel mantle lying opposite the bung opening, forming a second tight seat, as well as an annular valve body with which the pusher device in a first opening position frees an inner flow path between a pusher interior space and the riser tube interior space and an outer flow path separate from this between the pusher exterior space and spray openings of comparatively small cross section distributed in the casing, directed upon the inner surfaces of the barrel, and in a second opening position as outer flow path instead of this or in addition between the pusher exterior space and filling openings of comparatively large cross section provided in the casing.