Proposed regulatory framework for Salmonella in raw poultry products that was introduced by the previous presidential administration is “flawed and potentially illegal,” a National Turkey Federation (NTF) officer told the U.S. House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry.
Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kansas, chairs that subcommittee, and also recently co-introduced legislation that would prevent the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) from using federal funds to implement that proposed framework.
During a subcommittee hearing on March 4, Mann noted that in the pre-written testimony, NTF Immediate Past Chairman John Zimmerman had described the proposed framework as lacking scientific basis and financially burdensome to the turkey industry. He then asked Zimmerman to expand on those thoughts.
Zimmerman replied: “Obviously, foodborne illness is a concern for our industry. We do take many steps and strides to mitigate the risk in our processing plants, but the proposed framework proposed by the administration is highly flawed and potentially illegal.
“Salmonella is inherent in poultry, and to declare it as an adulterant is just not legally solid. We take many, many steps to address the situation and decrease the loads from farmer like me who regularly monitor for Salmonella, to processing plants who have many, many steps to try to limit its spread. To go so far as to declare it an adulterant is nearly impossible. Bacteria are everywhere. We’ll do what we can to limit the risk, but to go as far as they have in the rule is just not legally or scientifically possible.”
The legislation Mann proposed in opposition to the Salmonella framework was co-introduced in January by Rep. Steve Womack, R-Arkansas, who serves a chairman of the Congressional Chicken Caucus.
Last week, Zimmerman testified before the U.S. Senate Committee for Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and a key portion of that testimony was centered around the need to have farmers affected by avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) eligible for indemnity payments.
