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Research article2011Peer reviewedOpen access

Scientific Opinion on Isolation in proofed pit on-farm of dead poultry

Andreoletti, Olivier; Budka, Herbert; Buncic, Sava; Collins, John D; Griffin, John; Hald, Tine; Havelaar, Arie H; Hope, James; Klein, Gunter; Koutsoumanis, Kostas; McLauchlin, James; Muller, Graf Christine; Nguyen-The, Christophe; Nörrung, Birgit; Peixe, Luisa; Prieto, Maradona Miguel; Sofos, John; Ricci, Antonia; Threlfall, John; Vanopdenbosch, Emmanuel;
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Abstract

EFSA’s Scientific Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ) was asked for a scientific opinion on an alternative method for processing Category (Cat) 2 Animal By-Products (ABP) as defined in Reg. (EC) 1069/2009. The material to be treated consists of dead-on-farm poultry; this implies that the animals died due to a disease, which in most cases was not properly diagnosed. The proposed method consists in a decomposition of the carcasses by a process of autolysis, putrefaction and finally digestion by insects that takes place on-farm in a proofed pit. The carcasses are taken daily from a warehouse and immediately thrown into the pit. Lime is added at the rate of 200g/kg of carcass. Loading continues until the pit is full. The end-product obtained is intended to be used as an organic fertiliser. According to the legislation in force, before being used as an organic fertiliser, Cat. 2 material should be treated with a sterilisation process (i.e. 133°C / 20 min / 3 bars / 50 mm particle size). The BIOHAZ Panel concluded that the identification and characterisation of the risk material was not properly addressed in the application and a comprehensive list of possible hazards was not provided. No experimental validation with representative test-organisms under practical conditions was done. Because of a lack of information in the report, it was not possible to determine the degree of risk reduction of pathogenic bacterial, viral and parasitological agents achieved by the processes. Moreover, the proposed alternative method cannot be considered equivalent to the sterilisation process defined in the current legislation

Keywords

Animal By-Products; alternative methods; equivalence; on-site treatment; dead poultry

Published in

EFSA Journal
2011, Volume: 9, number: 11, article number: 2426
Publisher: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
    Food Science

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2426

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/36908