Effective Salmonella mitigation in feed: Why and how


Salmonella mitigation in feed and feed mills is critical to controlling its prevalence in live production. Feed sanitisers effectively control Salmonella in feed and feed mills and continue to protect feed from recontamination until the point of consumption.


DR ENRIQUE MONTIEL, ANITOX DIRECTOR OF NUTRITION AND LIVE PRODUCTION W


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hen it comes to producing poultry, feed has widespread influence and is the largest cost to operations. The bottom line? Farm productivity and animal performance rely on


feed. Feed is specially formulated to maximise poultry genetic growth potential. High-quality feed helps poultry producers achieve performance and productivity targets. Microbial load is an important indicator of feed quality. Pathogens that are harmful to the health, welfare and productivity of production animals, and to human food safety, have been shown to survive, thrive and even multiply in feed and feed ingredients. Mitigation of pathogens within poultry production begins and ends with biosecurity. Producers invest significantly in measures that protect poultry from pathogens such as Salmonella. Comprehensive programmes typically include restricted access, vaccination, cleaning and disinfection of facilities, water sanitation, litter management, rodent and


Figure 1 -Feed sanitiser, Finio, (product A) is shown to be efficacious against Salmonella at 1.0 kg/MT and demonstrates a clear dose-response reaching 98.5% at 2.5kg/MT.


other pest control as well as feed pathogen control. Feed presents a significant threat to biosecurity efforts because of the volumes involved and the centralised nature of feed production systems. Pathogens have been shown to colonise in mills and equipment, catching a ride in passing feed and feed ingredients and using them as carriers, or fomites, to access trucks, silos, feeder systems and birds downstream. Feed is purposefully, systematically and repeatedly disseminated throughout production chains every day, making feed one of the most important critical control points for biosecurity programmes.


Product (A to D) and concertration (kg per metric tonne) Source: Gosling et al., 2021 12


Review of Salmonella in poultry production Salmonella is naturally occurring in the environment and can survive in feed. While Salmonella in feed often exists in a fragile state, it remains opportunistic and viable under favourable conditions. In fact, the body of works relating Salmonella to animal feeds and feed ingredients includes more than 500 publications. Mills and live production especially can create a suitable environment to allow Salmonella to proliferate. Feed milling alone is a process that generates heat and available moisture which can stimulate Salmonella residence within feed mills. Not only can Salmonella survive in feed, but it can colonise feed mill machinery, trucks and other areas associated with the feed production process which creates the perfect opportunity for further contamination or recontamination of feed. Resident Salmonella is the gift that just keeps on giving, extending Salmonella contamination to subsequent feed batches and beginning the cycle of repeated Salmonella exposure to farms and flocks via feed. Data from several different studies


▶ FEED SAFETY | APRIL 2022


Untreated A (0.5)


A (1.0) A (1.5) A (2.0) A (2.5)


B (3.0) B (6.0) C (3.0) C (6.0) D (3.0) D (6.0)


Mean log count (CFU per gram)


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