DEFRA News Release (304/02), 24 July 2002

HYGIENE - Code of Practice to Cut Salmonella in Retail Chicken

A voluntary Code of Practice for the prevention and control of salmonella in chickens reared for meat on farm is published today. This is the latest development in the Department's commitment to work closely with the industry and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to achieve further cuts in the 6% of salmonella contamination in retail chicken.

The Code is intended to assist flock owners in preventing the introduction, spread and persistence of salmonella infection in chickens reared for meat. It provides guidelines for establishing good hygiene and production practices and for monitoring the salmonella status of flocks, which was recommended by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food in its report on poultry meat (1996). It also gives advice on cleaning and disinfection at depopulation.

The Code has been drafted taking into account the fact that most production takes place in controlled environment housing systems but many of the basic principles are applicable to free range or small scale rearing systems. The measures outlined in the code should also, if rigorously applied, substantially assist in preventing and controlling other infections or diseases in flocks of chickens reared for meat.

The code has also been prepared against the backdrop of the FSA's target of achieving a 50% reduction in the level of salmonella contamination in UK produced chickens on retail sale by April 2005. The results from the FSA survey of retail chicken in the UK, published in August 2001, showed that salmonella contamination was low at a level of 6%. Nevertheless, the FSA and stakeholders (including DEFRA) are currently working on a strategy to further reduce the level of contamination. The importance of making available a code of practice for the control of salmonella in flocks of chickens reared for meat has been recognised as part of this process.

The following additional notes are provided:

• Poultry are thought to be the principal source of salmonella in the food chain. Salmonella enteritidis, the salmonella species that causes most disease in man, is particularly associated with birds, and has the ability to infect eggs. It can therefore be transmitted vertically from parent bird to chick - an important issue in the breeding flocks producing hatching eggs (for which a code already exists).
• DEFRA policy is to promote the reduction of salmonella in all poultry flocks and, in particular, to control the vertical spread of Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium from breeding flocks to table egg layers and to chickens reared for meat. This policy is supplemented by a series of voluntary codes of practice drawn up in consultation with industry and a substantial programme of research and development. The code of practice for the prevention and control of salmonella in chickens reared for meat will complement the existing codes available for breeding flocks and hatcheries. Copies of the various codes of practice are available from DEFRA Publications, Admail 6000, London SW1A 2XX.
• The Code takes into account the comments received from the public consultation on a draft text, which was launched on 3 September 2001. The final version has been prepared in conjunction with the British Poultry Council, the British Veterinary Poultry Association, the National Farmers' Union, the Devolved Administrations and the Food Standards Agency.
• The Code will be sent to producers of chickens reared for meat in England (the Devolved Administrations will be distributing similar codes in their own areas). It is also available on the DEFRA website at the following link: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/zoonoses/index.htm#salm