Poultry and food safety [antikvár]

Introduction to COST Action 97COST (Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a research programme to foment scientific and technical cooperation at European level, complementing in particular the EU framework programmes and EUREKA. COST cooperation takes the form of concerted Actions, which involve the coordination of national research projects. The Actions focus on specific themes which are targeted by participating countries according to their research priorities. The coordination avoids unnecessary duplication of research, at both European and national level, and helps build larger, more effective scientific communities. At present, COST offers the possibility to cooperate between scientists from up to 28 member countries, and participants from other countries may be admitted on a case by case basis. COST is funding projects involved in precompetitive and basic research as well as other activities of public utility. The scientific quality of COST projects is well recognized and confributes to a coherent structure for European research.In the field of Food Science and Technology, COST is mainly concerned with improving food safety, food quality and nutrition. Taking into account these main topics, COST Action 97 is specifically devoted to "Pathogenic microorganisms in poultry and eggs". This project started in 1994 and it will be under development until 1998. The Chairman of the Action is Dr. R.W.A.W. Mulder from DLO InstihJte for Animal Science and Health in Lelystad (The Netherlands). At present, sixteen countries are actively participating in this COST Action: Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and United Kingdom. The Action is supported by the European Commission Directorate General for Science, Research and Development, and in particular by Unit DG Xll/Bl, responsible for COST support and its Scientific Secretariat.Poultry meat and eggs are important and mostly cheap animal proteins and are thus favourite products of consumers. It is therefore appropriate to improve ways of reducing risks to the consumer of disease carried by these foods. The national costs of food-home diseases are enormous and often underestimated. Any reduction in their incidence will have considerable economic benefits. The importance of the Action lies in the scientific integrated approach of the whole production chain. Activities in parts of the chain are important, but should be considered only as links within a total of activities, aiming at the decrease of contamination with poultry-bome human pathogens. Thus, the main aims of this COST Action may be summarized as the following:-the prevention of infection of live birds,-prevention of contamination of poultry-meat, eggs and egg products with Salmonella and other pathogenic micro-organisms,-application of new methods for end-product decontamination and preservation,-development of monitoring procedures and rapid detection methods and tests.By organizing European research cooperation on these issues and exchanging the results, the Action is promoting harmonization and standardisation of methodology and it is increasing the knowledge on pathogenic microorganisms and their effects on human animal and health. With all these activities the Action wishes to make its contribution to raising the quality of European research within this field.Francisca Serra Scientific SecretaryINTRODUCTIONDuring the Xlth International Congress of the World Veterinary Poultry Associaton the section "Poultry and Food Safety" was used as a mid-term evaluation workshop of COST Action 97.This Action started in 1995 and it was about time to see were we stand in the several areas of the Action on "Pathogenic Micro-organisms in Poulty and Eggs". Therefore specific subjects were chosen related to prevention of infection of live birds, prevention of contamination of poultry products, new technology for end-product decontamination and novel (molecular biological) detection methods and techniques to be used in epidemiological monitoring.The frame of the WVPA Congress was used to stimulate discussions with scientists from non-COST countries and overall the conclusion is that this construction worked out very well.In this volume of Proceedings the papers presented orally or as a poster are collected. This could only be done with the devoted assistance of Dr. G. Szmollény and Ms. Martha Tóth-Szekrényi.Many thanks are due for the help of the European Comission, the Hungarian Technological Development Agency (OMFB) and last but not least the host organization committee based at the Veterinary Medical Research Institute of Budapest.Dr. R. W. A. W. Mulder Chairman