If poultry farmers can reduce these pathogens in the gastro-intestinal tracts of their birds, then they can help reduce the risk of pathogens in food processing while sustaining or improving poultry performance.

On the farm, better biosecurity, hygiene, vaccination, and feed microbial security are helping to control pathogens. Going forward, however, farmers and need new nutritional health technology to assure greater food safety.

Wael Abdelrahman, DVM, MVSc, PhD highlighted the advance of nutritional heath technology to enhance pre-harvest food safety at the 2016 EuroTier animal industry trade show in Hanover, Germany.

Dr Abdelrahman is the Poultry Technical Service & Business Development Manager in Europe for Diamond V. He notes that effective pre-harvest intervention against foodborne pathogens in poultry and other food animals requires proven reduction in prevalence, number, virulence, and antibiotic resistance.

"Responsibility for safe food begins on the farm," Dr Abdelrahman said at EuroTier. "Poultry companies need research-proven, field-confirmed, farm-ready technologies to optimise food safety in the 'pre-harvest' phase of food production, prior to processing."

For more on Diamond V pre-harvest food safety research and nutritional health technology, visit www.diamondv.com.