April 2, 2002
Poultry Industry Association of New Zealand (Inc)

Cooked Properly Chicken Is Absolutely Safe
- Puzzling Aspects of Tests Undertaken for the Green Party

This is no immediate health drama.

As with other meats if you handle and cook the chicken properly, chicken is absolutely safe to eat. Cooking kills all bugs.

The results of the test by the Greens on one chicken are genuinely puzzling.

The resistance highlighted are to antibiotics which
- have never been used
- have not been used for at least two years
- or have only used very infrequently to treat chicken therapeutically.

The industry follows strict regulations on antibiotic use laid down by M.A.F. which takes advice from a panel of experts on the issue of antibiotic resistance.

The industry has recently established a programme to collect data on antibiotic resistance from each of its sheds and would welcome government involvement in this or additional programmes.

Antibiotic resistance is a complex issue, which needs to be addressed with good science and co-operation amongst interested parties.

If necessary M.A.F. may modify its regulation and the industry will readily comply with such changes.

In the meantime consumers can be confident that properly cooked chicken is absolutely safe to eat.

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