Comment on USDA’s Salmonella Framework

Legal Impact for Chickens and the University of San Francisco School of Law Student Animal Legal Defense Fund submitted a comment to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding proposed changes to the agency’s Salmonella Framework for chicken and turkey products. LIC is asking USDA to address animal welfare.

As stated in our comment, studies have shown that birds are more susceptible to Salmonella when they have low welfare and poor health. Keeping barns cleaner, providing proper food and water, maintaining comfortable temperatures, lowering the number of birds kept in one flock, and lowering stress in other ways can all help stop illnesses from spreading on bird farms. USDA currently only provides voluntary guidance about how to reduce Salmonella by increasing bird welfare before slaughter. LIC is asking USDA to create binding regulations.

USDA only requires Salmonella testing of some samples of chicken and turkey parts after the birds have been slaughtered. LIC’s comment asks the agency to require testing earlier in the process, or otherwise require some way to trace positive results back to the farm where the birds were raised. LIC also asked USDA to collect and publish information about the rates of Salmonella found in each facility. These measures would allow USDA to identify farms or slaughterhouses with particularly high levels of Salmonella, and to address any animal welfare or food safety issues leading to those high rates.

After LIC submitted its comment, 65 members of the public submitted their own comments asking USDA to address animal welfare in its Salmonella Framework. Thank you to each of these kind, thoughtful commenters for standing up for birds!