The programme was developed by a committee organized by Dr Alling Yancy, US Poultry & Egg Association vice president for food safety and production programmes.

The objective of the voluntary monitoring programme for broiler producers is to establish the relative prevalence of Salmonella enteritidis (SE) in parent breeding flocks. The programme also will provide a framework for the broiler industry to address SE as a potential food safety concern.

Dr Phil Stayer of Sanderson Farms, and current president of the Association of Veterinarians in Broiler Production, chaired the committee. Also participating were representatives from USPoultry member firms, the American Association of Avian Pathologists, the National Chicken Council, and USA Poultry & Egg Export Council. Now that this monitoring programme has been adopted by the NPIP, Dr Yancy will begin to encourage broiler integrators to participate in it, as well as seek volunteers to form a poultry industry coalition that will collaborate with USDA's Food Safety & Inspection Service to address SE in broilers.

He explained: "The Food Safety & Inspection Service has stated that SE has been increasing at the same time the overall prevalence of Salmonella spp. has been declining in broilers. This new NPIP programme will add some context to discussions on this matter by helping us learn the relative prevalence of SE in US meat-type parent breeding flocks. Only then can we know how serious the issue is, and begin to figure out what can be done about it.

"It's really too early for definitive answers. If SE prevalence is increasing in broilers, it will take some time to figure out why, and determine what actions will be necessary to address such a trend. In the meantime, broiler producers should continue to monitor all the other Salmonella information they routinely gather, to help guide their decision-making regarding the appropriate live operations programs to implement, or maintain, to address the relative potential of this food safety concern."