title: Monitoring Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus in traditional free-range 'Label Rouge' broiler production: a 23-year survey programme.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  'Label Rouge' broiler free-range carcasses have been monitored since 1991, and broiler flocks since 2010, for contamination by the main foodborne zoonotic bacteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Initially, the monitoring plan mainly focused on the surveillance of Salmonella, and on indicators of the overall microbiological quality of free-range broiler carcasses such as Staphylococcus aureus and coliforms, but was extended in 2007 to include Campylobacter enumeration on carcasses and in 2010, to Salmonella in the environment of live birds. Salmonella contamination of free-range broiler carcasses rose to a peak of 16% in 1994 but less than 1% of carcasses are now regularly found to be positive. Indicators of the overall microbiological quality of carcasses are also improving. These results correlate with the low prevalence of Salmonella in free-range broiler breeding and production flocks, and with the continuous improvement of hazard analysis and critical control points in slaughterhouses, the implementation of a good manufacturing practice guide since 1997 and the application of EU regulations on Salmonella since 1998 in France. Regarding Campylobacter counts on carcasses, the situation has been improving continuously over the last few years, even if 2·5% of the carcasses are still contaminated by more than 1000 Campylobacter per g of skin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the current control system focusing on Salmonella is based on firm epidemiologic data and offers effective means of control (e.g. slaughtering of positive breeder flocks), existing information on Campylobacter makes it more difficult to formulate an effective control plan for free-range broilers, due to their particular exposure to environmental contamination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This long-term surveillance programme provided an extended view of the evolution of the contamination of free-range broilers and a direct measurement of the impact of mandatory and profession-driven interventions on the microbiological quality of carcasses.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ploufragan/Plouzané, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation de, l'Environnement et du Travail, Université Européenne de Bretagne, Ploufragan, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salvat
authors.affiliation: SYNALAF (Syndicat National des Labels Avicoles de France), Paris, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guyot
authors.affiliation: SYNALAF (Syndicat National des Labels Avicoles de France), Paris, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Protino
mesh_terms: D000003:Abattoirs; D000818:Animals; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005511:Food Handling; D005602:France; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: 
  Campylobacter
  ; 
  Salmonella
  ; free-range broilers; microbiological contamination; surveillance