DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (News Release ref
:219/07) issued by The Government News Network on 18 July 2007
Defra has today
launched a consultation on the implementation of a National
Control Programme for salmonella in poultry laying flocks.
Salmonella is a common cause of food poisoning and can cause
serious illness in humans. The aim of the programme is to reduce
the levels of the two most important types of salmonella for human
health, Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) and Salmonella Typhimurium (ST).
Current UK levels are among the lowest in Europe, with Salmonella
Enteritidis or Salmonella Typhimurium present on 8% of holdings
with laying flocks.
The UK has been set a target to reduce these two types of
Salmonella by 10% each year for the next three years. The
programme sets out how this will be achieved and includes
mandatory sampling and testing requirements to demonstrate
progress towards this target.
In 2009, additional measures will also come into force for
premises where either type of salmonella has been found. Eggs
from flocks confirmed to be infected will not be permitted to be
sent for human consumption unless they have been heat-treated to
guarantee the elimination of salmonella of human health significance.
The consultation launched today seeks views on how this National
Control Programme should be implemented.
The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer, Debby Reynolds, said:
"Salmonella in flocks is already low in the UK and our
National Control Programme will be a key step forward in achieving
even greater reductions, with the support of the poultry industry
which has already made excellent progress reducing salmonella
through voluntary programmes."
The consultation documents can be viewed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/ncp-layingflocks/index.htm
Notes for Editors
1. By February 2008 all Member States are expected to have
implemented a National Control Programme which meets the
requirements of EU legislation (Regulation (EC) 2160/2003). This
is intended to ensure that coherent action to reduce Salmonellas
of human health significance is taken across the Community and
that information on Salmonella status in Member States can be
compared more easily. The EU legislation provides a framework for
the National Control Programme and details the phases of
production which sampling and testing for the Salmonellas must cover.
2. Regulation (EC) 1168/2006 established the details of
obligatory sampling and testing in each member state and imposed
reduction targets for each country. For the UK this target is for
an annual reduction of at least 10% in the number of adult laying
flocks found positive for SE or ST compared with the previous year.
3. A nation-wide survey of commercial laying flock holdings was
carried out in 2004 -2005. The results showed that around 8% of
layer flock holdings in the United Kingdom (UK) were infected with
Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Typhimurium. This result
provides the starting baselines against which the target will be
judged. Similar surveys took place across all EU member states and
the average prevalence for SE or ST in laying flock holdings was
20.4%. The full report by the European Food Safety Authority of
the surveys from all Member States can be found at: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/monitoring_zoonoses/reports/report_finlayinghens.html
4. A survey of retail eggs by the Food Standards Agency in 2003
tested 28,518 eggs and found that one in every 290 boxes of six
eggs on sale had Salmonella contamination (on shells only),
compared with 1 in 100 in a 1995/6 survey. The 2004 survey also
found that Salmonella was not present in the contents of any of
the eggs. Data from the Health Protection Agency on Salmonella
levels in humans indicates that Salmonella Enteritidis of UK
origin has fallen substantially since 1997.
5. A recent amendment to Regulation (EC) 2160/2003 has introduced
a requirement that from 1 January 2009 eggs from flocks infected
with Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella Typhimurium must not go
for direct human consumption unless they have undergone heat
treatment to eliminate Salmonella; i.e., sale of fresh shell eggs
from these flocks will not be permitted. In addition from
November 2007 this requirement will apply to flocks when the eggs
from the flock are linked to a food borne outbreak of
Salmonellosis in humans.
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