2 Sisters Food Group launches bio-security workshops across UK farms
Workshops launched in a bid to combat Campylobacter.
Best practice is vital to deliver the highest standards of food safety
2 Sisters Food Group, one of the UK’s leading poultry suppliers, today announces its plans to run a series of bio-security workshops throughout February and March, as the company demonstrates its commitment to reducing the presence of Campylobacter on farms, in line with the recently refreshed strategy launched by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Campylobacter, the commonest reported bacterial cause of infectious intestinal disease in England and Wales, is the subject of a new, £4m initiative from the FSA, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Defra, which details a joint strategy aimed at reducing the risks of the food borne pathogen through increased risk management processes across the whole supply chain, from field to fork. 2 Sisters Food Group’s Poultry Division, which draws on over 600 farms across the UK, supplying own label, food service and food manufacturers, will run 20 interactive workshops from the beginning of February to communicate the latest best practice, ensuring it continues to lead the industry in delivering the highest standards of food safety.
The interactive sessions, developed in conjunction with partners 2 Agriculture and Hook 2 Sisters, have been designed to educate and empower farmers so they consistently apply best practice in line with the FSA’s refreshed strategy to reduce campylobacteriosis from poultry. The workshops cover six main areas; controlling visitors, keeping disease off farms, effective barrier systems, dedicated house equipment, topping up bales and controlling pests and other animals.
Forming part of a wider, 12-month Campylobacter campaign, the nationwide workshop programme will see training materials distributed to all 2 Sisters Food Group farms, alongside videos from industry experts circulated to frontline employees to encourage the continuation of learning and maintenance of standards.
Of utmost importance is cleanliness – here shoes are scrubbed to avoid contamination spreading between areas
On completion of the year-long campaign, each farm will be audited to evaluate Campylobacter results against each implemented measure to identify which controls have the greatest effect in reducing the colonization of Campylobacter at farm level. This information will then be fed back to the FSA to form part of the documented research evidence.
Michelle Waterman, group agricultural director for 2 Sisters Food Group, commented: “We’re committed to ensuring the very best standards across all of our UK farms, in both food safety and quality. We want biosecurity best practice to become a way of life for everyone on our farms. By working closely with our farmers we believe we can send less bacteria into the food chain and play our part in producing safer chickens. We’re also pleased that the results of our Campylobacter reduction initiatives will also aid the FSA’s research into the most effective methods to prevent colonization at farm level, something that the whole farming community across the globe could benefit from in the future.”
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