Poultry preharvest pest control can improve food safety

Pest management is an often-overlooked area of concern when it comes to food safety in the poultry industry.

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Infographics circles warning, fly insect clutch on egg are carriers of typhoid tuberculosis (selective focus)
Infographics circles warning, fly insect clutch on egg are carriers of typhoid tuberculosis (selective focus)
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Pest management is an often-overlooked area of concern when it comes to food safety in the poultry industry.

“When it comes to poultry production and food safety, a lot of people think that the main issue is the kind of stuff that we can see. You know, when you go into a plant and see a bunch of Salmonella pathogens,” Dr. Alissa Welsher, senior monogastric technical consultant, Elanco, said. “But how do Salmonella, E. coli and other pathogens get into poultry operations?”

There is intense pressure to develop better preharvest approaches to food safety in the poultry industry right now, especially when it comes to Salmonella. In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) classified Salmonella as an adulterant in certain types of breaded and stuffed raw chicken products. This was followed by the unveiling of a proposed framework to improve Salmonella control in poultry products in October.

Pests – beetles, flies, rodents and more – are common vectors for many of the pathogens that can cause foodborne illnesses in humans. They’re also overlooked a lot, especially when it comes to food safety concerns.

“I don’t want to say it’s a hidden factor, but it’s definitely something that, until recently, hasn’t really been looked at as a main concern for poultry,” she added.

Pest control do’s and don’ts

A thorough management program is key to good pest control on the farm. This involves making sure that dead birds and other organic matter is regularly picked up, regularly mowing the grassy areas near poultry houses, cleaning out litter on a regular basis, insecticides and more.

“I’m not saying that good pest management eliminates these things, but it surely does help to decrease the numbers,” explained Welsher.

However, Welsher cautions the industry to avoid a common mistake when it comes to pest management: using the same chemical class repeatedly.

“You don’t want to use the same chemical class because it can build resistant populations and then you would be treating and spending all this money on chemicals and it’s not doing anything,” she said.

“By rotating chemical classes, you’re really able to get the best use of your money and those chemical classes and really help take care of that population.”

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