March 26, 2007

UK should increase scrutiny on salmonella in chicken eggs

Even though eggs from the UK has the lowest levels of salmonella in the EU, almost 1 in 10 eggs still test positive for salmonella strains which can cause food poisoning in humans, a spokesman from an animal health company said.

This percentage should be reduced by all possible means, including the identification of flaws in the system, such as poor vaccination technique, biosecurity, hygiene, disinfection and monitoring said Eduardo Bernardi, vaccine marketing director for Lohmann Animal Health.

Live vaccines administered through the drinking water provide a convenient, welfare-friendly way to build up immunity but it is important that the live vaccine strains do not leak out into the environment, Bernadi said.

The safe use of vaccines are likely to become an issue of concern for egg producers as they face increasingly stringent sampling for salmonella from the EU, he added.