The Conference in London held on 3-4 June was attended by approximately 100 delegates which included representatives from consumer groups (Which), all the major retailers, processors, health groups, researchers, Red Tractor and vets. The NFU were represented by Mike Bailey who is a member of the National Board and myself. The sole aim of the workshop was how are we going to meet the industry agreed target of reducing the most heavily contaminated carcasses from 27% down to 10% by the end of 2015. Catherine Brown, CEO of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) described the fact that over 100 people per year are dying from Campylobacter food poisoning as a national scandal. Further, she added that ‘we (the FSA) exist to protect the consumer and an environment where one person per minute is going down with Campylobacter food poisoning is not acceptable. Failing on this (the industry agreed target) is not an option’. I think it is fair to say that the FSA feel that whilst accepting how much effort, time and investment that the industry has put into reducing levels more can be done. She comments that if Campylobacter turned chicken blue then the industry response would surely be more radical.
Perhaps not surprisingly no ‘silver bullets’ emerged from the workshop. There was a commitment to share data more openly with the industry, testing for Campylobacter on farms – all sheds and all crops – and reporting that information on the Food Chain Information (FCI) sheet. The results of this could then be used to establish a database from which trends, patterns and perhaps clues emerge that may help in controlling the bacteria. Leak proof packaging, sonosteam, education in schools, a national public campaign, a Process Hygiene Criteria (industry self-regulation by setting an upper limit of contamination), better washing of carcasses in the plant, farmer incentives (currently being trialled by 2SFG), catching crate design and effective washing, evisceration optimisation all being discussed in length. The Joint Working Group is also expected to change emphasis from coordinating research and the trialling of interventions to one of a delivery body focussed on outcomes.
There is a recognition from the FSA that the industry is on the ‘shoulder’ of making real progress in reducing levels of Campylobacter.
It is hoped that Faccenda will have the Rapid Surface Chilling intervention installed as part of their commercial line by the late Autumn. In trials this has shown a 1.6 log reduction which, if replicated at a commercial line speed of circa 12,000 birds per hour, will mean that the 2015 target will be met. Two Sisters Food Group are starting a 12 month no thin trial in East Anglia to establish once and for all if a policy of no thinning reduces contamination levels.
From our members point of view the message has to be the requirement to implement enhanced biosecurity all of the time and the benefit of testing all sheds and all flocks. Time is of the essence.