Organic chickens carry more bugs

3 October 2001



‘Organic chickens carry more bugs’

By Adrienne Francis

ORGANIC chickens are three times as likely to contain Britains most common food-poisoning bacteria than battery birds, claims a new report.

A Danish study in the journal Letters in Applied Microbiology examined 22 organic and 79 conventional broiler flocks.

All of the organic flocks and one-third of the conventional flocks were found to be infected with the campylobacter bacterium.

Dr Karl Pedersen, who led the study at the Danish Veterinary Laboratory, said organic birds are exposed to more bacteria because they roam outdoors.

The findings undermine claims that organic foods are always healthier than intensively produced food, reports The Daily Telegraph.

The Food Standards Agency has found that “most” chickens in Britain are infected with the campylobacter.

The bacterium is killed by cooking, but can be spread around the kitchen on knives, chopping boards, taps, cloths and unwashed hands.

Soil Association director Patrick Holden said stringent standards meant organically-reared UK poultry would be naturally more resistant.

“Because of the variation in standards across the EU, it would be difficult to use this research to make a judgement on the situation in the UK.”

• Mixed report on chicken bugs, FWi, 16 August, 2001
• Bug found in 70% of shop chicken, FWi, 16 August, 2001
• Drop in salmonella cases, FWi, 12 June, 2000