Animalia Norwegian Meat and Poultry Research Center, P.O. Box 396 Økern, Oslo, 05413, Norway.
Norsk Kylling, Havneveien 43, Orkanger, 7300, Norway.
Acta Vet Scand. 2024 Aug 13;66(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s13028-024-00762-w.
Preventing pathogens from entering the broiler premises is the main biosecurity measure at farm level. In conventional broiler production, chickens are kept indoors during the entire production period. Pathogens can enter the broiler-producing unit from sources such as water, equipment, personnel, insects, and rodents. The possible routes must be controlled, and corrective measures applied when necessary. The objective of this study was to (1) develop a hygiene protocol and test the scheme on 30 farms, and (2) compare the results to their Campylobacter-colonised status. A Hygiene Performance Rating protocol at farm level (HPR-F) was developed to systematically review the production to identify risk areas to biosecurity. The HPR-F consists of 13 categories with related questions. For each question, a score was given from 1 to 3, where 1 meant "acceptable", 2 was "potential for improvements", and 3 was "not acceptable". Scores for each question were multiplied with weight factors for hygienic impact and economic consequences describing whether the necessary improvement depends on a significant investment or is a cheap quick-fix and calculated into a percentage where 100% is perfect hygiene. The 30 farms in the study were selected from one county in Norway. The Campylobacter-results for each of the 30 farms in 2019-2021 were given according to rules in the Norwegian Action Plan against Campylobacter faecal sampling on-farm 3-6 days prior to slaughter.
The overall results from the HPR-F showed that the general hygiene level was high in all farms. The mean total hygiene score was 82% and varied from 70 to 92%. The category Handling dead chicken had the highest hygiene score (93%), and Ventilation had the lowest score (55%). The HPR-F results were compared to the Campylobacter-status for the 30 farms: Campylobacter-negative flocks had slightly higher total scores than Campylobacter-positive flocks (P = 0.19). Among others, the category Outdoor area (vegetation close to the premises' walls) was identified as the most stable factor in relation to be colonised with Campylobacter.
The HPR-F tested in this research trial provides a tool for veterinarians, advisors, and poultry farmers to improve biosecurity at farm level and enhance the preventive animal health initiatives.
防止病原体进入肉鸡养殖场是农场层面主要的生物安全措施。在传统的肉鸡生产中，鸡在整个生产过程中都被饲养在室内。病原体可以通过水、设备、人员、昆虫和啮齿动物等来源进入肉鸡生产单位。必须控制可能的途径，并在必要时采取纠正措施。本研究的目的是：(1)制定一个卫生方案并在 30 个农场进行测试；(2)将结果与鸡群的弯曲杆菌定植情况进行比较。制定了一个农场层面的卫生绩效评级方案（HPR-F），以系统地审查生产情况，确定生物安全的风险区域。HPR-F 由 13 个类别和相关问题组成。对于每个问题，都根据 1 到 3 的分数进行打分，其中 1 表示“可接受”，2 表示“有改进的潜力”，3 表示“不可接受”。每个问题的得分乘以卫生影响和经济后果的权重因素，这些因素描述了必要的改进是否取决于重大投资还是便宜的快速修复，并计算为 100%表示完美卫生的百分比。研究中的 30 个农场是从挪威的一个县中选择的。2019-2021 年，根据挪威粪便采样法对弯曲杆菌的行动计划，在屠宰前 3-6 天，根据每个农场的规则，给出了这 30 个农场的弯曲杆菌结果。
HPR-F 的总体结果表明，所有农场的总体卫生水平都很高。平均总卫生评分 82%，从 70 到 92%不等。处理死鸡的类别得分最高（93%），通风得分最低（55%）。HPR-F 的结果与 30 个农场的弯曲杆菌状况进行了比较：弯曲杆菌阴性鸡群的总得分略高于弯曲杆菌阳性鸡群（P=0.19）。在其他因素中，户外区域（靠近鸡舍墙壁的植被）被确定为与弯曲杆菌定植最相关的稳定因素。
本研究中测试的 HPR-F 为兽医、顾问和家禽养殖户提供了一个工具，以提高农场层面的生物安全水平，并加强预防性动物健康措施。
