Salmonella in retail poultry in Northern Ireland

A prospective survey was carried out in Northern Ireland between February and August 1994 to assess the current levels of salmonella in retail chickens, and to determine whether contamination rates differed between chickens sold in supermarkets and by butchers. One hundred and forty chilled and frozen raw chickens were sampled from retail display and examined for the presence of salmonella using an approved method. Contamination was commoner in chickens that were chilled, sold from smaller premises, and reared or slaughtered outside Northern Ireland. Salmonella enteritidis phage type 4 was the most commonly isolated type. The contamination rate of about 7% is considerably lower than in Great Britain and this may partially explain the lower rate of human salmonella infections in Northern Ireland. This finding supports the recommendations made in the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Standards of Food's report on poultry meat, since many of the improvements proposed are already in operation in areas of the Northern Ireland poultry industry.