May 12, 2010
Danish producers alleged of exporting Salmonella-infected chickens
Companies in the Danish broiler industry are alleged to be exporting its Salmonella problem by sending Salmonella-positive broiler flocks to processing plants in other countries.
While Danish food authorities and the poultry industry are struggling to keep foreign chickens with salmonella out of the country, infected meat is still being exported for sale abroad.
The poultry industry has made efforts in recent years to have its domestically-sold chicken be 100% salmonella-free. However, farmers are shipping chickens that do not meet that requirement to foreign slaughterhouses.
Gunder Jensen, board member of independent industry association, DFP said, "The practice is hypocritical and a double standard. We don't want it here in our country but we're fine with selling it to others. And it's usually the same few chicken farmers with whom we repeatedly have these problems." Jensen added that the authorities should shut down producers who are not adhering to the proper requirements.
According to DFP's figures, there were 26 Danish poultry farms where salmonella outbreaks were registered that still shipped their products abroad last year. By doing so, the producers were able to avoid violating the stringent requirements that aimed at ensuring no salmonella-infected poultry is sold to Danish consumers.
Ole Høegh Sørensen, president of the Danish Poultry Council, said that any closure of producers' facilities is up to the Food and Veterinary Administration.
He said, "It isn't anything that we decide but if a producer sends an animal abroad, then it's because there's a demand for it, and we have free trade across borders."
