Estimation of costs for control of Salmonella in high-risk feed materials and compound feed

Abstract

Introduction

Feed is a potential and major source for introducing Salmonella into the animal-derived food chain. This is given special attention in the European Union (EU) efforts to minimize human food-borne Salmonella infections from animal-derived food. The objective of this study was to estimate the total extra cost for preventing Salmonella contamination of feed above those measures required to produce commercial feed according to EU regulation (EC) No 183/2005. The study was carried out in Sweden, a country where Salmonella infections in food-producing animals from feed have largely been eliminated.

Methods

On the initiative and leadership of the competent authority, the different steps of feed production associated with control of Salmonella contamination were identified. Representatives for the major feed producers operating in the Swedish market then independently estimated the annual mean costs during the years 2009 and 2010. The feed producers had no known incentives to underestimate the costs.

Results and discussion

The total cost for achieving a Salmonella-safe compound feed, when such a control is established, was estimated at 1.8–2.3 € per tonne of feed. Of that cost, 25% relates to the prevention of Salmonella contaminated high-risk vegetable feed materials (mainly soybean meal and rapeseed meal) from entering feed mills, and 75% for measures within the feed mills. Based on the feed formulations applied, those costs in relation to the farmers’ 2012 price for compound feed were almost equal for broilers and dairy cows (0.7%). Due to less use of protein concentrate to fatten pigs, the costs were lower (0.6%). These limited costs suggest that previous recommendations to enforce a Salmonella-negative policy for animal feed are realistic and economically feasible to prevent a dissemination of the pathogen to animal herds, their environment, and potentially to human food products.

• Salmonella
• feed
• control
• economic cost
• feed mill
• crushing plant
• food safety
• preharvest control
• Sweden

Acknowledgements

The authors thank: P.J. Herland and AKK Karlshamn, Sweden (http://www.aak.com); L. Hermansson and Svenska Foder, Sweden (http://www.svenskafoder.se/); and K. Larsson and Lantmännen, Sweden (http://www.lantmannenlantbruk.se/) for estimation and providing data on the cost for control of Salmonella in the enterprises of their concern. The authors also thank R. Erixon, Kalmar Lantmän, Sweden (http://www.kalmarlantman.se/sitebase/) for providing estimated data on feed prices; special thanks are due to L.M. Widell, Analysis Unit, Swedish Board of Agriculture, SE-551 82 Jönköping, Sweden, for checking the approach applied for the economical estimations and Dr Simon More, UCD Centre for Veterinary Epidemiology and Risk Analysis, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland, for valuable critical review and advice on the language.

Conflict of interest and funding

The authors have not received funding or benefits from industry to conduct this study.

Notes

1 In this paper ‘feed mill’ is applied to plants producing compound feed.

2 AAK (http://www.aak.com), Lantmännen (http://www.lantmannenlantbruk.se/) and Svenska Foder (http://www.svenskafoder.se/).