Microbial risks--from animal farming to the food

Microorganisms by far are representing the most important cause for food safety risks. Sources of food contamination are given along the whole food chain. The most frequent causative agents of food infections, Salmonella and Campylobacter, mostly can be found in the animals herds. A real improvement of the situation can only be reached by a strong inclusion of the agricultural area in the programs for repressing the pathogens. Problems in animal health and premortal stress of the slaughter animals cause considerable bacterial translocation processes and increase the consumer risks. Only few publications exist on the influence of the animal farming systems on the development of microbial food risks. The consumer accepts only animal management systems, which meet the demands for animal welfare, economical efficiency and especially the demand for product safety.     

Biosecurity: safeguarding your veterinarian: client: patient relationship.

Biosecurity is the management practice that reduces the opportunities for infectious agents to gain access to, or spread within, a food animal production unit. As the public's concern for food safety continues to be directed toward the producer, a well-defined and well-documented biosecurity plan will be a significant factor in ensuring that animal products are safe, wholesome, and acceptable. Veterinarians are the initial control point for biosecurity and therefore are expected by their clientele and the general public to assist in establishing, defining, refining, and practicing biosecurity programs.     

Organic livestock production in Europe: aims,rules and trends with special emphasis on animal health and welfare

Organic farming in Europe has increased during the last decade but the market share is still relatively low with less than 3% of farmed arable land and an even smaller proportion of farm animal species raised in organic livestock production systems. In many aspects, the biological and ethological needs of animals in organic farming systems are better met than on conventional farms. Emphasis is placed on high standards in product quality, animal health and welfare. However, limitations due to the strict organic rules place high demands on management qualifications. Practical experience shows that organic livestock production is certainly no guarantee of good animal health and welfare. It is suggested to develop quality assurance programmes for process quality assessment to ensure a certain level of management standard. Epidemiological studies are needed to evaluate health risk factors for health and welfare problems in organic livestock production. The concept of organic animal farming can only fulfil the criteria for sustainability, if all requirements on animal health and welfare, together with product quality and ecological soundness, are strongly considered and controlled.     

ASAS Centennial Paper: Developments and future outlook for preharvest food safety

The last century of food animal agriculture is a remarkable triumph of scientific research. Knowledge derived through research has resulted in the development and use of new technologies that have increased the efficiency of food production and created a huge animal production and food manufacturing industry capable of feeding the US population while also providing significant quantities of high-quality food for export to other countries. Although the US food supply is among the safest in the world, the US Center for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that 76 million people get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illness. Consequently, preventing foodborne illness and death remains a major public health concern. Challenges to providing a safe, abundant, and nutritious food supply are complex because all aspects of food production, from farm to fork, must be considered. Given the national and international demand and expectations for food safety as well as the formidable challenges of producing and maintaining a safe food supply, food safety research and educational programs have taken on a new urgency. Remarkable progress has been made during the last century. Wisdom from a century of animal agriculture research now includes the realization that on-farm pathogens are intricately associated with animal health and well-being, the production of high-quality food, and profitability. In this review, some of the developments that have occurred over the last few decades are summarized, including types, sources, and concentrations of disease-causing pathogens encountered in food-producing animal environments and their association with food safety; current and future methods to control or reduce foodborne pathogens on the farm; and present and future preharvest food safety research directions. Future scientific breakthroughs will no doubt have a profound impact on animal agriculture and the production of high-quality food, but we will also be faced with moral, ethical, and societal dilemmas that must be reconciled. A strong, science-based approach that addresses all the complex issues involved in continuing to improve food safety and public health is necessary to prevent foodborne illnesses. Not only must research be conducted to solve complex food safety issues, but results of that research must also be communicated effectively to producers and consumers.     

Evaluation of the implementation of new traceability and food safety requirements in the pig industry in eastern Australia

Objectives   To evaluate the implementation and barriers to adoption, among pig producers, of a newly introduced traceability and food safety system in Australia.
Procedure   Implementation of the PigPass national vendor declaration (NVD) linked to an on-farm quality assurance (QA) program was evaluated in May and December 2007 at saleyards and abattoirs in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Four focus group discussions with saleyard producers were held between April and July 2007.
Results   Implementation of the PigPass system in terms of accurate completion of the form and QA accreditation was higher at the export abattoir than at the regional saleyard at the first audit (P < 0.01). Implementation increased at the second audit at the abattoirs, but little change with time was observed at saleyards. Approximately half of the producers at saleyards used photocopied PigPass forms, made at least one error (>64%), and many vendors did not appear to be QA-accredited. During focus groups, producers expressed the view that PigPass implementation improved animal and product traceability. They identified the associated costs and a perceived lack of support by information providers as obstacles for adoption.
Conclusion   Improvement in the implementation of PigPass among producers marketing pigs at export abattoirs was observed during the 8-month period of the study. There is a need for a more uniform message to producers from government agencies on the importance of the PigPass NVD and QA and extension and education targeted toward producers supplying pigs to saleyards and domestic abattoirs to ensure compliance with the traceability requirements.     

Epidemiology and quality assurance: applications at farm level

Animal production is relevant with respect to farm income and the position of the sector in the market, but also with respect to the quality and safety of products of animal origin, related to public health. Animal production is part of a chain of food production. Therefore, producers have to take consumer expectations and demands in the domains of animal health, welfare and environment into account. A different attitude for production has to be adopted; this attitude can be visualized in good farming practice, GFP, codes. Farmers who focused on quality in its broadest sense need a system supporting them in their management and control of quality risks. Generally speaking, there are three systems for that purpose: GFP, ISO and HACCP. When the hypothesis followed relates to animal health being a feature of quality, or else welfare and environmental issues, then animal health care can be executed following quality control principles. The HACCP concept is well suited for quality control at farm level, involving risk identification and risk management. The on-farm monitoring and surveillance system of critical control points in the animal production process is the most important tool in this procedure. Principles for HACCP application as well as certification fitness of HACCP are elaborated upon. They are illustrated by using salmonellosis in meat-pig farms as objective for an HACCP approach. It is further discussed that, in addition to animal health and quality, animal welfare and environmental issues could also be covered by an HACCP-like system in an integrated manner. Ultimately, the HACCP modules could end up in an overall ISO certification.     

An internationally recognized quality assurance system for diagnostic parasitology in animal health and food safety, with example data on trichinellosis.

A quality assurance (QA) system was developed for diagnostic parasitology and implemented for several diagnostic assays including fecal flotation and sedimentation assays, trichomonad culture assay, and the testing of pork and horse meat for Trichinella to facilitate consistently reliable results. The system consisted of a validated test method, procedures to confirm laboratory capability, and protocols for documentation, reporting, and monitoring. Specific system components included a quality assurance manual, training program, proficiency panels, inter-laboratory check-sample exchange program, assay critical control points, controls, and audits. The quality assurance system of the diagnostic laboratory was audited according to ISO/IEC Standard 17025 by an international third party accrediting body and accredited as a testing laboratory for the specific parasitology tests. Test results generated from the laboratory were reliable and scientifically defensible according to the defined parameters of the tests and were therefore valid for a variety of purposes, including food safety, international trade, and declaration of disease status in an animal, herd, farm, or region. The system was applicable to various test methods for the detection of parasites in feces or other samples, and a digestion test system developed for Trichinella was used as an example. A modified tissue digestion assay was developed, validated, and implemented by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Centre for Animal Parasitology for efficiency and quality assurance. The details of the method were properly documented for routine testing and consisted of a homogenization process, an incubation at 45+/-2 degrees C, and two sequential sedimentations in separatory funnels to concentrate and clarify final aliquots for microscopic examination. To facilitate consistently reliable test results, 14 critical control points were identified and monitored, analysts were certified, and the test system verified through the use of validation data, proficiency samples, and training modules.     

An outline of a risk assessment-based system of meat safety assurance and its future prospects

Discussed are the outlines of a risk assessment-based system of meat safety assurance to replace the current meat inspection. An example of a system that uses the Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP)-principles in the entire production chain from stable to table is also given. Continuous evaluation of risks is the main driving force of the new system. Only then the system has the means to remain flexible and provide for the data necessary to convince trade partners that the products they buy are safe. A monitoring system that keeps track of the important health hazards in the entire chain from stable to table is therefore necessary. This includes monitoring of cases of disease in the human population caused by the hazardous agents of concern. Coordination of the monitoring and control and processing of the information is done by an independent body. Furthermore, the system demands a production from stable to table that is based on the ideas of Integrated Quality Control (IQC), HACCP, and certification of production processes and quality control procedures. Clear legislation provides for criteria about acceptable or unacceptable health risks for the consumer and determines at what moments which risks should be controlled by the producers. Simultaneously, the legislation has to be flexible enough to be able to adapt quickly to any changes in risks, or in the way risks should be controlled. In the new system current meat inspection can easily be carried out by employees of the slaughter houses and is no longer a direct responsibility of the authorities. The authorities only demand certain safety levels and verify whether producers stick to these. Producers remain fully responsible for the safety and quality of their products, and fully liable in case of any damage to the consumers' health. However, it is to be expected that some EU Member-States miss the organizational and agricultural basis for a successful application of the new system. Consequences are that two parallel flows of meat and meat products may come to existence. One flow will exist of meat produced according to the new, and with respect to safety assurance, superior system. The other flow will consist of meat produced and inspected in the traditional way. However, this meat will contain all the flaws that required a revision of the system in the first place. This, and the fact that EU policy ordains that part-taking in an alternative meat inspection system should be voluntary, may very well result in a very slow start-up of the new system. One of the easiest solutions, however, would be to implement a decontamination step in the slaughtering process, provided that this is accompanied by strict codes of hygienic practices and good manufacturing practices. Not only would this lead to safer meat, but also result in the two separate flows of meat becoming one flow again as well as an easier to organize livestock production according to HACCP-principles.     

Salmonella monitoring programs in Australian feed mills: a retrospective analysis

The availability of safe, commercially prepared stock feed for production animals is an important step in ensuring animal health and welfare and the safety of food animal products for human consumption. Animal feed quality assurance programs include microbiological monitoring of raw materials, mill equipment and finished feed. Over a period of 16 years, 23,963 samples for Salmonella culture and serotyping were collected from 22 stock feed mills. A multivariable generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to identify mill and sample type factors that increase the odds of detecting Salmonella. The odds of detecting a Salmonella positive sample was greatest in samples from raw materials and in mills that processed restricted animal material (RAM). The percentage of positive samples ranged from 7.2% in 2003 to 2.8% in 2017. Of the 1,069 positive samples, 976 were serotyped with 61 different Salmonella serotypes isolated. The serotype most frequently isolated from raw materials was S. Agona, (n = 108) whilst S. Anatum was the serotype most frequently isolated from equipment and finished feed (n = 156). The diversity of Salmonella serotypes differed between mills and different stages of the production line. Microbiological monitoring in the commercial preparation of animal feed in Australian stock feed mills guides the implementation of quality control measures and risk mitigation strategies thereby reducing the prevalence and diversity of potentially zoonotic bacteria such as Salmonella, enhancing food safety for both animal and consumer.     

HACCP在硬质干酪加工中的应用

食品行业发展方向是安全、健康、优质。HACCP由于能有效控制食物中的危害,保证食品的安全,被公认为全世界范围的食品安全生产准则。将HACCP系统应用于硬质干酪生产中,对硬质干酪的生产过程进行危害分析(HA)确定关键控制点(CCP)并制定相应控制限值;监控系统的HACCP计划工作模式,以提高硬质干酪生产管理水平和产品安全性。     

Imbedding HACCP principles in dairy herd health and production management: case report on calf rearing

Driven by consumer demands, European legislation has suggested the use of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) as the quality risk management programme for the whole dairy chain. Until now, an exception has been made for primary producers, but as regulations evolve, on-farm HACCP-like programmes should be ready to assure food safety as well as animal health and animal welfare. In our field experiment, the HACCP-concept was used to combine both optimal farm management and formalisation of quality assurance in an on-farm situation in the Netherlands. The process of young stock rearing was chosen, since its importance for the future of the farm is often underestimated. Hazards and their associated risk factors can be controlled within the farm-specific standards and tolerances, as targets can be controlled by corrective measures and by implementation of farm-specific worksheets. The veterinarian is pivotal for the facility-based HACCP team, since he/she has knowledge about on-farm risk assessment and relations between clinical pathology, feed and farm management. The HACCP concept in combination with veterinary herd health and production management programmes offers a promising approach to optimise on-farm production processes (i.e., young stock rearing) in addition to a structural approach for quality risk management on dairy farms.     

浅析动物源性食品安全隐患及解决办法

随着我国经济的持续发展和人民生活水平的不断提高,人们对动物源性食品的需求产生了由量到质的转变,动物源性食品安全问题也逐渐显露,对公共卫生安全和人类的健康已造成严重的威胁,引起了各方面的高度重视。文章针对目前动物源性食品安全现状,对其存在的问题及带来的危害提出相应的解决办法,以保证动物产品的健康使用,促进畜牧业的迅速发展。     

基于禽类卡环追溯智慧兽医体系建设的探索与实践

为实现动物卫生监管智慧化,高效保障动物产品质量安全,本研究在搭建禽类检疫卡环追溯信息系统基础上,探索了多环节信息衔接-共享机制、硬软件保障、禽类卡环追溯智慧化实践路径及其运行体系的建设经验。结果显示：禽类卡环追溯智慧兽医体系运行后不仅堵住了检疫监管漏洞,而且营造了良好“企商”关系,降低了禽类屠宰企业经营成本,节约了禽类产品销售商时间,提高了企业及其产品竞争力,高效保障了肉品品质,确保了消费者吃上“放心肉”。最后就官方兽医能力提升、系统优化、多部门协调及立法建设等方面提出了建议,以期为动物卫生监督提供有益的可推广的方案。     

Preparing the veterinary profession for corporate and trade issues in the Americas: proceedings of a conference on synergism and globalization, Santiago, Chile, May 6-8, 2001

The complex and rapid-paced development of international trade, coupled with increasing societal demands for the production not only of abundant and inexpensive food, but also of food that is safe and has been raised in a humane and environmentally friendly manner, demands immediate attention from the veterinary community. The new culture of global trade agreements, spurred by the development of the WTO, dictates massive changes and increasing integration of public and private sectors. This is a huge growth area for our profession and will require individuals with a skill set we do not yet provide in our educational framework. In North America, veterinary education is parochial and focused on specialization. This strong orientation toward companion animals fails to provide adequate training for those interested in acquiring the necessary skills for the emerging area of globalization and trade. In South America, curricula are less harmonized with one another and there is tremendous variation in degree programs, rendering it difficult to ascertain whether veterinarians are prepared to assume decision-making responsibilities regarding international transport of food. If we do not begin to prepare our graduates adequately for this emerging market demand, the positions will be filled by other professions. These other professions lack broad-based scientific knowledge about animal physiology and disease causation. Decisions made without adequate background could have devastating consequences for society, including incursions of unwelcome diseases, food safety problems, and public health issues. To prepare our new veterinary graduates for the future and this emerging market, it is important to nurture a global mindset within our academic communities and to promote communications, languages, and an interdependent team mentality. Areas of technical expertise that need a place, perhaps a parallel track, in the curriculum include production medicine, public health, food safety, and international veterinary medicine. The major trade corridors of the future regarding animal-based protein flow between North and South America. It is absolutely essential that we find areas of consensus and deficiencies so that we can harmonize our trade agreements and ensure adequate flow of safe food products from one continent to the other.     

动物源性食品安全问题与对策

随着现代化经济的快速发展,人们生活水平的不断提高,对动物源性食品的需求也越来越多,然而,动物源性食品安全问题也日益显露无疑,严重威胁着公共卫生安全及人体健康,已造成严重后果,引起了各方面的高度关注。本文系统分析认为,饲料的污染、养殖场生态环境的严重污染、养殖生产中滥用抗生素、使用违禁添加剂、动物源性食品加工和储藏过程中违规或超量使用食品添加剂、检出手段落后、法律法规体系不健全、管理部门多、政务分割是产生动物源性食品安全事故的根源。针对目前的现状,提出了动物源性食品安全的控制对策是加强宣传,提高人们对畜产品安全重要性的认识,发展生态畜牧业模式,完善疫病防控体系,强化动物疫病防控意识,加强监管,确保动物源性食品源头的质量安全、强化监管职责,确保畜产品的屠宰加工质量、加强动物疫病监测体系建设、建立与国际标准接轨的奶业标准体系,各职能部门应切实承担起这项工作,加强此方面的监管力度,以保障人体健康,维护社会安定。     

生猪养殖环境优化

为了实现养猪业的健康、安全、优质高效生产,必须深刻认识到养猪环境控制在猪病防控中的中心地位,以期改善当前的生猪养殖环境,提高猪只的非特异性抵抗力,消除疾病诱发因素,切断疫病传播途径,减少疾病的发生,降低药物的使用,确保食品安全。论文对生猪养殖中,环境对猪健康的影响及存在的问题等予以综述,提出了环境优化的主要措施。     

饲料“禁抗”势在必行，行业如何应对？

抗生素自问世以来,在防治动物疾病、促进畜禽健康生长,提高养殖效益方面发挥了重要作用。但随着抗生素的不规范使用甚至滥用,药物残留和动物源细菌耐药性等问题逐渐浮出水面,给动物源性食品安全和公共卫生安全带来风险隐患。对此,农业农村部发布公告,实施促生长类药物饲料添加剂退出行动(简称饲料"禁抗")。从长期发展来看,饲料"禁抗"对行业可持续发展有积极正向作用,但短期对饲料养殖行业会带来一定的冲击。饲料"禁抗"是提高动物源性食品安全和公共卫生安全水平,促进畜牧业持续健康发展的必然要求,无论是饲料企业,还是养殖场户,应以冷静积极的心态面对,积极找寻饲用抗生素减量替代方案,并加速推广应用,以助力养殖业绿色健康发展,满足人们对安全优质动物源性食品的需求。     

Self-Perceptions and Self-Assessments of Livestock Producers in Pennsylvania

A study was conducted 1) to identify the concerns that producers believe the public has regarding animal agriculture, 2) to provide a self-assessment by producers of their industries, and 3) to identify issues producers feel the public may misunderstand and which can be alleviated through public education. Surveys were mailed to Pennsylvania producers of five animal industries: beef, dairy, swine, poultry, and veal. The response rate received was 18 to 22%, depending on the industry (n = 540). The two most frequent complaints received by the producers from the public were odor and flies, respectively. Self-assessments indicated that the highest-ranked concern of producers was harmful chemicals in the food supply; food storage and use of too many inputs were of least concern. Issues identified by producers as frequently being misunderstood by the public and in need of the most public education were water quality, food safety, air quality, farm animal welfare, soil quality, use of resources, and recycling of by-products, respectively. This survey demonstrated that a majority of livestock producers (63.2%) maintains that the care they currently provide to their animals has improved over the past 10 yr; however, only 26.3% of the producers believe that the public feels that the quality of animal care has improved. This discrepancy may be a result of an increasing absence of filial ties to production agriculture and the tendency of the public to rely on non-farm sources of information about farming.     

Food safety on the slaughterline: inspection of pig heads

This paper summarises information on the current inspection procedures for pig heads on the slaughterline and their impact on food safety, and considers the implications for food safety of certain lesions. It is argued that although a modified slaughter and inspection technique would decrease the contamination of the carcase with pathogenic microorganisms, leaving lesions in the head undiscovered would be of little or no importance either for human health or for the overall supervision of animal health.     

Aspects of animal welfare in livestock production

The modern consumer is increasingly concerned about the welfare of farm animals which are kept in intensive systems on specialised farms where the health and well-being is almost completely dependent on the will, ability and care of the farmer. Further demands related to animal production are consumer health (quality and safety of food products), the protection of the environment and cheap food. The currently used husbandry systems are man made and emphasise automation which requires permanent critical observation of the welfare of the animals. Ethological indicators are equally important as health and performance to evaluate keeping systems. Future animal farming will be influenced by new technologies such as electronic animal identification and milking robots, and more important by biotechnology and genome analysis. Veterinary surgeons and farmers have to co-operate on the basis of scientifically sound animal welfare schemes which help to protect our farm animals in modern and intensive livestock production systems.