diff --git a/k8s/datatracker.yaml b/k8s/datatracker.yaml
index ee8248927..8603d0c50 100644
--- a/k8s/datatracker.yaml
+++ b/k8s/datatracker.yaml
@@ -64,6 +64,9 @@ spec:
           env:
             - name: "CONTAINER_ROLE"
               value: "datatracker"
+            # ensures the pod gets recreated on every deploy:
+            - name: "DEPLOY_UID"
+              value: "$DEPLOY_UID"
           envFrom:
             - configMapRef:
                 name: django-config