A study coordinated by Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Germany shows that Campylobacter and Salmonella can frequently be detected at the time of slaughter.
The pathogens reach the slaughterhouse in intestinal contents or on the feathers of the animals and can then be carried over during slaughter to the carcasses. From there they reach the food chain and then consumers. According to the report published by BfR, Campylobacter were detected on 62 percent and Salmonella on 17.6 percent of the 432 carcasses examined in Germany. In 48.6 percent of the slaughter groups Campylobacter were detected in the intestinal contents of the animals.
EU figures
EU-wide 71.2 percent Campylobacter were detected in the intestines of the slaughter groups of broilers and 77 percent on the carcasses. The detection rates in the Member States were between 2 percent and 100 percent for detection in the intestines and between 4.9 percent and 100 percent for detection on the carcasses. The values obtained for Germany were, therefore, lower than the EU average. EU-wide 15.7 percent of the carcasses were contaminated with Salmonella. The most frequent serovars were Salmonella infantis and Salmonella enteritidis; however the frequent detection of Salmonella infantis reflects the very high level of contamination of animals in one Member State.
The study is part of an investigation which was conducted in 2008 in all Member States of the European Union (EU). The results of the EU study were published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
