Campylobacter, a relatively recently identified germ, was found in 60 per cent of Irish produced chicken in a Food Safety Authority of Ireland survey of processing plants last year.
The Irish Poultry and Egg Conference in Athlone was told that while this level of contamination was common worldwide, Campylobacter was the most frequent cause of bacterial diarrhoea and far exceed the more commonly known germs, Salmonella and E.coli 0157 here last year. However, according to the report from the microbiology sub-committee of the FSAI, Campylobacter is sensitive to freezing, heating (pasteurisation/cooking), drying, acidic conditions, disinfectants and irradiation.
The report made 38 recommendations to control the germ in the food chain. It said poultry had been regularly associated with this infection and a high proportion of retail chicken sold worldwide was contaminated.
"Regarding poultry, Campylobacter-free poultry cannot be produced under current production conditions. Therefore the approaches to be taken are to reduce the incidence to the lowest level achievable in poultry," it went on.
It recommended that everyone dealing with poultry should be alerted, including the consumer, that chickens may carry this germ and needed to be handled hygienically and thoroughly cooked before eating.