EU proposes regulation for Salmonella testing in poultry
The European Commission (EC) has called for feedback on the draft of a regulation concerning Salmonella testing and sampling in poultry, which will modify the 2003 regulation (EC) No 2160/2003. Comments will be accepted until August 16.
The European Commission (EC) has called for feedback on the draft of a regulation concerning Salmonella testing and sampling in poultry, which will modify the 2003 regulation (EC) No 2160/2003. Comments will be accepted until August 16.
The proposed regulations set sampling and testing requirements necessary to ensure harmonized monitoring of EU target levels for Salmonella in poultry populations. Until the end of 2021, food business operators may apply the methods referred to in the four regulations.
“Representative sampling for the control of Salmonella in flocks of laying hens and breeding hens of Gallus gallus is not always practical in colony cage houses and non-cage multi-tier houses with manure belts between each tier, which are increasingly used for the housing of these birds,” according to the draft regulation. “It is therefore appropriate to allow an alternative sampling procedure, providing a practical solution for sampling these flocks whilst maintaining at least equivalent sensitivity to current sampling procedures.”