Imported poultry not as safe as Danish poultry

The Denmark Food Authority announced that an EU ruling will soon allow Denmark to ban imports of salmonella-infected food products.

The Serum Institute in Denmark has stated that the worst outbreak of salmonella in 15 years has afflicted thousands of Danes in just a matter of weeks. The Food Authority has been testing hundreds of food samples to locate the source, which is pointing towards pork or poultry. As yet, however, there is no answer.

It is reported that the authority came under criticism this week when it was reported that it had failed to carry out more than 200 planned inspections of meat shipments in 2007.

The authority said that it expects to get permission from the European Commission by the end of 2008 to stop the importation of salmonella-infected poultry and eggs, according to Politiken newspaper.

They have apparently spent the past 2 years documenting the low levels of salmonella in Danish chickens to the commission, so that they can prove that the imported poultry is not as safe as Danish poultry.

The case is controversial because it would break the EU's principle of the free market, whereby well-known businesses can freely sell their products to all member states. The authority is basing its argument on the fact that both Sweden and Finland, both of which have recorded low salmonella levels, got permission to refuse salmonella-infected imports when they joined the EU in 1995.

The Food Authority states that there is salmonella in one out of every 60 Danish chickens, while one out of every 7 imported chickens is infected.

According to the authority, the EU has said that if Danish food producers can bring their salmonella level down to 1-2% in domestic chickens then the same rules could apply as in Sweden. Denmark's salmonella level in domestic poultry lies close to the boundaries.