Food and Environmental Safety of Pastured Poultry Processed On-farm and at a USDA-Inspected Facility

Introduction: Pastured poultry producers who have limited access to federal inspection face a substantial barrier to the economic feasibility of such production operations. This is despite a favorable market environment that has experienced a sustained increase of consumer demand for locally produced poultry products.  This absence of regulatory guidance along with the relative scarcity of studies on pastured poultry processing practices has failed to yield a record of the data that is necessary to validate the food and environmental safety of these practices.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study is to determine the food safety risk represented by pastured poultry products. This assessment will be based on data collected from pastured poultry processing operations performed at the site of production (on farm) and at a small USDA-inspected slaughter facility. Additionally, an assessment of the environmental impact of processing waste disposal practices from on-farm processing will be performed.

Methods: Soil, compost, processing wastewater and carcass rinse samples were collected and assayed for Salmonella and Campylobacter. During the first three months of this study, four visits have been made to a small USDA-inspected facility that processes pastured poultry and two visits have been made to an on-farm pastured poultry processing operation in the southeastern United States. Salmonella and Campylobacter loads were determined using the Most Probable Number (MPN) method and the direct plate method, respectively.

Results: At the USDA-inspected facility, 83% (n=40) of the carcass rinses were positive for Salmonella and 90% (n=40) were positive for Campylobacter.  The mean value for Campylobacter counts was 4.19 CFU/ml of rinse (95% CI: 0.47, 7.92). The mean value for Salmonella was 1.03 MPN/ml of rinse (95% CI: 0.22, 1.84).  On the pastured poultry farm, 90% (n=20) of the rinse samples were positive for Campylobacter and 90% were positive for Salmonella. The mean value for Campylobacter counts was 15.13 CFU/ml (95% CI: 7.35, 22.90) and the mean value for Salmonella was 2.13 MPN/ml of rinse (95% CI: 0.280, 3.98). The overall prevalence of Salmonella in environmental samples on this farm was 76% (n=21) and a 92% (n=12) prevalence for Campylobacter. 

Significance: The findings from this study will support the ongoing sustainable agriculture initiative by providing preliminary data to farmers on the food safety and environmental impact of pastured poultry processing.