Given the high levels of Campylobacter found in farmed poultry on the island of Ireland, what can we learn from other countries dealing with flock contamination?
The recent safefood Knowledge Network conference ‘Campylobacter: The poultry control programmes in Norway, Sweden & Denmark’, heard about control programmes in place in these Scandinavian countries. Those present also heard insights into microbiological, hygiene and process criteria, and new technology to test for contamination on the broiler farm.
“There are an estimated 9.2 million cases of campylobacteriosis in the EU every year costing the European economy €2.4 billion,” says conference chair Dr Declan Bolton, the facilitator for the safefood Campylobacter Knowledge Network. “The corresponding figures for the island of Ireland are approximately 100,000 cases and €26 million, although many professionals consider this to be an underestimate.”
The Republic of Ireland fares particularly poorly for poultry contamination, notes Declan, a Principal Research Officer at Teagasc. “The only comprehensive surveillance study undertaken to assess the prevalence of Campylobacter was conducted throughout Europe in 2008. The Republic of Ireland was bottom of the league table with 83.1 per cent of broiler batches and 98.3 per cent of carcasses contaminated. The figures for contamination in the UK, which includes Northern Ireland, were 75.3 per cent for broiler batches and 86.3 per cent for carcasses.”
It was made clear at the conference that any Campylobacter control strategy in broilers would need to actively engage key stakeholders, including media.
It should also include farmer education and training, support for biosecurity infrastructure, audits, Campylobacter monitoring of every batch (and appropriate action based on that information), consumer education and smart use of packaging – possibly branding to acknowledge the work invested and to assure the consumer.
“Each of these activities will have to be considered from the economic, political and science point of view,” Declan says.
(L-R: Declan Bolton, Teagasc; Merete Hofshagen, Norwegian Veterinary Institute; Ingrid Hansson, National Veterinary Institute, Sweden; Marianne Sandberg, Danish Agriculture and Food Council)
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