§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether there is a minimum acceptable percentage of salmonella contamination in poultry carcasses; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonIt is desirable that any bacterial contamination should be kept to a minimum, although salmonella is destroyed if poultry is cooked properly. Two codes of practice have been introduced for poultry breeders and hatcheries to minimise the risk of transmission of salmonella. In my reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk, Central (Mr. Lord) on 18 January I set out the further measures I am proposing to reduce the risk of transmission through breeding stock. Statutory hygiene controls are designed to avoid contamination during processing.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many investigations of salmonella species in poultry flock have been carried out in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr Donald ThompsonThe Zoonoses Order 1975 requires that all isolations of salmonella from food poisoning animals are reported. Since April 1988, in response to the emerging human health problem associated with salmonella enteritidis, all reports of this salmonella have been investigated. The number of investigations carried out in flocks of fowls in each of the last five years is as follows:
Number 1984 3 1985 3 1986 4 1987 5 1988 1 182 1 provisional
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which species of salmonella have been found in the ovaries of poultry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonOf the very many known salmonella species only the following species have been isolated from ovaries of poultry:
- Salmonella typhimurium
- Salmonella typhimurium var Copenhagen
- Salmonella enteritidis
- Salmonella heidelberg
- Salmonella menston
- Salmonella gallinarum
- Salmonella pullorum
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of vaccinating poultry against salmonella species; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonA vaccine can only be effective against an individual species of salmonella, of which there are many hundreds. Vaccines are available against salmonella pullorum and salmonella gallinarum; both have been virtually eradicated from this country but the vaccines are used in other countries with some degree of success. Vaccines are not available for the control of other species of salmonella.
323W
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research his Department is carrying out into(a) the identification of salmonella species in poultry and (b) the vaccination of poultry against salmonella species; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonMy Department is currently funding a number of research projects including the development of a quick and simple blood test to detect salmonella enteritidis in live birds and the investigation of factors determining intestinal colonisation by salmonella. This includes studies of oral and systemic immunisation of poultry against salmonella.
324WResearch work on the development of a salmonella enteritidis vaccine is being carrid out under a commercial contract at the central veterinary laboratory of my Department.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under what criteria egg producers are able to label eggs salmonella free; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonAs it is not feasible for the health status of individual eggs to be tested in a way which does not destroy them, claims that eggs offered for sale are free from salmonella may be open to legal challenge.