Contaminated Poultry: the root of the problem

In efforts to reduce the incidence of food-borne illness, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced new standards for poultry processing plants.  Apparently, slaughterhouses must routinely check to see if their fowl is foul.  Pun intended.

Currently, establishments must test their poultry for the presence common food-borne pathogens salmonella and campylobacter.  With the new standards, the number of "positives" tests will be reduced from twelve contaminated samples to five.

While this will certainly help decrease the number of contaiminated chickens that reach the supermarket, it does not address the root of the problem: unhealthy birds.

How does a cute little innocent chick catch these nasty bacteria in the first place?  Poor living conditions.

Most factory farmed chickens live in dark, enclosed buildings without access to green grass or even bare soil.  They walk around in their own excrement and eat GMO corn out of communal troughs.  In order to prevent them from getting sick in such a dirty environment, their feed is laced with antibiotics.  Despite this prophylactic measure, these birds are still becoming infected.  (Why else would the USDA have to mandate stricter performance standards?)

What else can we do to protect our food supply?  Support the use of biodynamic farming principles.

Polyface farm in Staunton, Virginia exemplifies this wholistic approach to raising healthy chickens and livestock.  The ownder, Joel Salatin, respectes the physiological distrinctiveness of each animal (chickens, cows, pigs and rabbits) by providing the appropriate habitat.  Pastured livestock and poultry are frequently rotated to new plots of grass -- which Joel lovingly referes to as "salad bar" -- to allow for landscape healing and, in return, the most nutrient-dense food for the animals.

Not only are the animals happy in this environment, so are the people.  One thing you will notice upon touring the farm is that, despite the hundreds of animals living on the farm, the farm does not smell.  How many factor farms can claim that?

I propose that if more farms used biodynamic techniques, the USDA would not have to waste so much energy and government funding making sure our food supply is safe.

To learn more about the Polyface Guiding Principles, visit this link.