I had an early start this morning, talking about campylobacter on GMTV. Our latest survey shows that it's present on 65% of fresh chicken bought in the UK – so it was a good opportunity to remind people of the need for good hygiene in the kitchen (washing hands, cooking poultry until the juices run clear etc.) and to talk about what we're doing with poultry producers and retailers to tackle this problem.
Vaccination has been one of the key control measures for salmonella, but this is proving more difficult for campylobacter. This is mainly because campylobacter doesn't cause disease in hens, so generating an immune response that can be harnessed for vaccine development is difficult and also because the organism is genetically unstable.
Lowering levels of campylobacter in chicken will be a key priority for the Agency over the next few years, because we know this is a major cause of food poisoning. I will be meeting with senior researchers next week, organised with BBSRC and Defra, to discuss research needs in this area. And, early next year, we will be hosting an international conference bringing together experts from around the world to share knowledge and learn what is most effective in controlling this organism, whether that's increased biosecurity on the farm or better controls in slaughterhouses.
One effective control is the use of chlorinated washes in slaughterhouses. This reduces levels of contamination and has been shown to be harmless for people. It's used in some parts of the world, but isn't permitted in the EU.
Are we effectively discarding a useful tool that's been shown to stop people getting ill, in the way that pastueurisation was so effective in stopping people getting ill from raw milk? Perhaps someone can explain?
