April 4, 2007

EFSA: Salmonella affects almost a quarter of EU broilers
 

Salmonella has been detected in 23.7 percent or almost a quarter of EU broiler flocks, said the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) following a survey of poultry farms.

In response, the food safety watchdog called on authorities of member states to step up measures against the disease, which causes human food poisoning.

The infection rates varied widely among member states. No positive detections were found in Sweden, while Poland, Portugal and Spain reported high rates, with Hungary registering the highest rate of 68.2 percent.

Despite having the most chicken farms and flocks in the EU, France had a relatively low rate of 6.2 percent.

However, EFSA is determined to bring down the bloc's average level to 2 percent or less, and plans to set varying target levels for governments to reduce salmonella in live hens depending on how prevalent the disease is in each country.

EFSA expects mandatory targets to be set for only two types of salmonella, but also urged countries with high rates of other varieties to take drastic measures to curb the disease.

The agency also stressed the importance of thorough cooking of broiler meat and strict kitchen hygiene to minimise the chances of salmonella poisoning.