The UK's National Farmers Union (NFU) will hold a conference on Campylobacter at the end of March.
The purpose of the conference is to bring together representatives from every link in the poultry supply chain: primary production, processing, retail, research and development, and consumers. The NFU notes that it is imperative that communication among stakeholders continues into the future and it believes the conference will act as an opportunity to bring all parties together to share information and best practices on measures taken at each step to reduce Campylobacter.
Campylobacter in raw poultry meat is a key issue for the U.K. poultry industry, and every effort is being made to reduce levels in the food chain. The NFU notes that it is working closely with the U.K.'s Food Standards Agency and other stakeholders to develop biosecurity guidelines to reduce Campylobacter on farms.
The farming body is in the process of producing a large on-farm poster and a detailed leaflet to be distributed to all NFU broiler members and circulated to the wider industry. This guidance is being endorsed by the Food Standards Agency, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and quality assurance organization Red Tractor.
Initiatives also have been undertaken with processors, retailers and veterinarians in conjuction with various research projects, including the E.U. Camcon project so that efforts are joined and information shared across the board.
Campylobacter remains the most common cause of food poisoning in the U.K., and 50-80 percent of cases in the U.K. and other E.U. countries can be linked to raw poultry meat.
