Poultry Industry
Poultry is one of the main products that people eat to provide the protein necessary for good health. In this section, you will learn about how NutraSilver can effectively solve many of these challenges safely and cost-effectively.
NutraSilver, a natural mineral, kills pathogens that are common in the poultry industry. Once ingested by the fowl, NutraSilver may eradicate pathogens in the bird, the droppings and the eggs produced by the fowl. This might eliminate much of the cost associated with bringing the fowl to market. A simple wash of the carcass prior to shipping should eliminate the possibility of salmonella and other pathogenic infections so the consuming public can be assured of a tasty and health experience consuming fowl.
Urgent Poultry Industry Challenges
There are at least 140 known disease identified within the Poultry Industry. This creates enormous challenges in terms of testing/identification, inoculation, eradication and control, all of which cut deeply into the profitability of the industry.
These challenges cut across the entire industry including chicken health, droppings sanitization, carcass handling and egg production. In every category, the fundamental issue is; how does an industry remain in good standing with those who consume the products while increasing confidence that eating chickens and eggs is safe and healthy?
The American consuming public is deeply concerned about eating fowl that is laced with antibiotics and this has been demonstrated by the decline in consumption of fowl over the past few years.
Beneficial Solutions, LLC believes that we have a viable, economic solution to this poultry industry problem. In FDA-certified lab tests, NutraSilver has been conclusively shown to kill the pathogens that plague the fowl industry while also demonstrating zero toxicity to either the host (chicken) or the consumer. NutraSilver is very inexpensive and extremely potent in killing harmful bacteria, yeast, mold and viruses.
The main categories of concern are:
Breeder Management
Production Management
Incubation
Feed and Nutrition
Housing and Environment
Bio-security and Hygiene
Waste and Odor
Markets and Economics
Processing
Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Food Animals
A National Institute for Animal Agriculture Publication. Activists continue to apply increased pressure on antibiotic use in food-producing animals, and activists’ messages are being more than heard.
They are being seen. Billboards posted by Chipotle Grill state “Get antibiotics from your doctor, not your beef.” Similar Chipotle Grill billboards have been aimed at the poultry industry.
Numerous food service companies have zeroed in on the public’s concern with antibiotic use in food animals and have developed their own antibiotic guidelines. Wendy’s, for example, has developed its own antibiotic use policies. Under “Managed Use,” Wendy’s policy states that “antibiotics used to treat food animals must only be administered by licensed veterinarians that have met all training and certification requirements.” Its “Human Health” guideline reads “Reduce overall antibiotic usage in food animals, especially when the class of antibiotics used is both a human and food animal medicine. Employ alternative therapies, or use antibiotics not used to treat human disease whenever possible.” Negative and frequently inaccurate headlines, editorials and messages on the Internet feed the frenzy.
Concerned groups have been heard. On Feb. 8, 2007, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) sponsored H.R. 962, The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2007, which seeks to cut antibiotic resistance linked to the misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture. Just four days later on Feb. 12, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) introduced the same bill in the Senate, S. 549. Other bills with the same title were introduced in previous Congressional sessions: 109th Congress, H.R. 2562; 109th Congress, S. 742; and 108th Congress, S. 1460. These bills failed to make it through the legislative process.
The 2007 Bill would phase out the use as animal feed additives of antibiotics that are also important in human medicine, including penicillin, within two years. The bill also requires pharmaceutical companies manufacturing and marketing agricultural antibiotics to submit data on the quantity of drugs they sell, along with information on the claimed purpose and dosage for those drugs. The intention is to help public health officials track the implementation of the phase-out. (Note: To track this bill, visit www.govtrack.us, and then click on “New Bills” under “Track Congress”.)
Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Concern
The American Medical Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Academy of Pediatrics are among the more than 350 health and other groups nationwide that have endorsed The Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2007.
Public concerns about the potential for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to develop in animals and transfer to humans are not a new issue. Concerns can be traced to the late 1960s—just 20-some years after the first antibiotic, penicillin, was available to the general public.
The food animal industry has taken numerous steps to address the concerns. “Numerous safeguards have been put into place to ensure that antibiotics are used properly in animals and to minimize the potential for antibiotic-resistant bacteria to transfer to humans,” states Forrest L. Roberts, Marketing Manager, Beef Business Unit, Elanco Animal Health.
“Judicious use guidelines developed by the American Veterinary Medical Association with the assistance from several species-specific veterinary organizations have also been adopted for each individual animal species to ensure the right drug is used at the right time for the right bacteria.”
The guidelines are supported by both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration.
Government surveillance programs serve as early warning systems to monitor changes in antibiotic-resistance levels. Through the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture monitors antibiotic resistant levels in animals, and the CCC monitors for changes in levels of antibiotic resistance food-borne human pathogens. Data shows levels of antibiotic resistance in animals have been low and stable, and levels in humans have generally declined since monitoring began in the late 1990s.
Judicious Use of Antimicrobials
The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) emphasizes the judicious use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals and has developed products targeting veterinarians as a part of its Food Safety Initiative (FSI) Education Program.
CVM guidelines and videos are available for veterinarians on beef and dairy cattle, poultry and swine as well as on aquatic animals at http://www.fda.gov/cvm/JudUse.htm. Likewise CVM judicious use of antimicrobial guidelines and videos are available for beef, dairy, pork and poultry producers at http://www.fda.gov/ cvm/JudUse.htm.
Various national species organizations also have developed judicious use of antimicrobial guidelines that underpin those created by the CVM.
The American Veterinary Medical Association’s15 general principles of judicious use that Roberts referred to gave impetus to the National Pork Board’s shared program between pork producers, veterinarians, animal health companies and feed companies. Called Take Care™, the program educates the swine industry on responsible antibiotic use and assures consumers the right steps are being taken. Developed in cooperation with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians as well as other industry organizations, the program consists of five principles for responsible antibiotic use and six specific guidelines for implementation.
“Take Care” defines the standards for responsible use of antibiotics in pork production in a way that is producer friendly and takes into account existing science, animal welfare and animal health,” said Dr. Liz Wagstrom, assistant vice president of science and technology for National Pork Board. “It intends to set the standards for antibiotic use in the pork industry before consumer groups or food service companies dictate them for us.”
Responsible Food Animal Industry
The Coalition for Animal Health serves as the food animal industry’s watchdog and spokesman, overseeing food animal health issues. The Coalition’s mission is to support the use of sound science and risk assessment in decision-making by government regulatory agencies and to provide sound scientific information for use in policy changes and debate.
This group also responds to public dialog on issues related to animal health. In addition to monitoring trends in animal health product usage, the Coalition advocates prudent use of animal drugs in food animal production.
The Coalition for Animal Health is a partnership of major national trade associations representing animal production, animal feed, animal health, veterinary medicine and related industries. Partners include the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Feed Industry Association, Animal Health Institute, American Sheep Industry Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Chicken Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council and National Turkey Federation.
In Search of the Ideal Water Line Cleaner
By Amanda Hancock, Jennifer Hughes and Susan Watkins, Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, University of Arkansas and published in Avian Advice
Cleaning poultry drinking water systems can be difficult if systems are dirty or a biofilm slime has become established in the pipes, regulators, and water lines running from the well to the poultry houses. There have been many incidences in which the best daily water sanitation program was less than successful in protecting birds from disease challenges just because the water system was not completely clean before bird placement. The goal of every poultry producer should be to provide birds with the best water supply possible. Unfortunately if growers often use vitamins and other water additives, it is very possible that a biofilm has become established in the pipes and regulators in as little as two to three days.
Biofilms are composed of many types of bacteria and other organisms that live together in a sticky film inside pipes, regulators, and even the nipple drinkers. The biofilm then shields itself by secreting a thick mucous that is not easily penetrated by cleaners such as chlorine or acidifiers such as citric acid. The mucous can even neutralize the cleaner before it has a chance to kill harmful organisms. Then as the biofilm grows and becomes crowded, it releases bacteria into the water and to the birds.
One of the most eye opening cases that drive home the importance of good water sanitation was a turkey barn that had Bordetella positive poults. Bordetella is a bacterial respiratory infection that can set back a flock of turkeys and usually requires antibiotic treatment for successful recovery. The nipple drinker line was cut and a visual inspection of the line indicated no slime. The pipes looked clean. However, when the water regulator was opened, a thick algae growth was present on the pressure seal and the Bordetella was found thriving there. That is why if a producer even suspects his water supply or drinkers might be causing health issues in flocks, it is important to pick the right line cleaner and use it at an appropriate rate between flocks when the poultry houses are empty and no birds are present.
The biggest question is: What products give producers the most thorough cleaning for their water systems without damaging the equipment? While many growers have been trained to use products such as citric acid, research results are now showing that when a drinker system is dirty with bacteria, organic acids such as citric acid could be providing the bacteria a food supply and creating a bacterial challenge for new chicks and poults. If the biofilm contains yeast or mold, then lowering the pH of the water with citric acid could actually be creating a more favorable environment for the slime to thrive resulting in clogged drinkers. Most molds prefer a pH of 2 to 5.
Given the fact that many challenges can potentially be present in poultry house water systems, what is the best choice for optimizing line cleaning and eliminating all growth? This was the question that led to the evaluation of several line cleaning products. The objective of this project was to create a microbial rich environment that could potentially shield bacteria and other organisms from cleaners (just like biofilms do) and then determine what products were most effective in reducing or eliminating bacteria, yeast and mold.
Products were evaluated for their ability to kill oxygen loving (or aerobic) bacteria, yeast and mold in the presence of a heavy organic load. These microbes were chosen because they are typically present in contaminated water systems. In an attempt to simulate the slime seen in the Bordetella positive regulator, water containing algae was used for the test. The heavy organic load in this water simulated the challenge for cleaning tough biofilms.
The take home message from this project is water systems which contain a great deal of bacterial growth and slime may very well need products at stronger concentrations to eliminate the challenge. Otherwise, bacteria may remain in concentrations that can return to high levels once the cleaner is removed from the system.
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