Health
Food safety plays a leading role in all quality assurance systems at VION. This was the starting point when reviewing the inspection of fatteners within VION’s Dutch pig supply chain.
The safety of the meat can be further enhanced by making use of information from the living phase of the animals, targeted monitoring of live pigs for the presence of pathogens, and stringent checks for the absence of antibiotics.
These systems were first implemented in VION’s Dutch pig operations, and were then introduced in Germany. This high level of food safety assurance will be rolled out to all VION pig slaughterhouses. Separate modules will be developed to include organically farmed pigs in these systems.
Analysis of the Irish dioxin crisis in 2008 led to a further strengthening of VION’s internal quality standards. More effective measures to better control contamination of meat with xenobiotics, such as dioxins, have now been implemented in all links of the animal production chain.
Implementing private QA programmes, such as GMP+ or GlobalGAP, with third-party assurance as an integral part of the system, is a precondition for the feed sector and something that has already been introduced in the Netherlands. This has also resulted in animal fat intended for feed being sourced only from the producers and not via traders, thus removing the risk of contamination by mixing. VION is actively promoting this model for the other countries where it is active. In addition, all VION Ingredients production sites continuously monitor animal fats for dioxins and PCBs.
Active monitoring for dioxins is also applied in the slaughterhouses. VION’s approach to dioxin monitoring in animal feed actually embraces the entire supply chain.
Together with scientists from various universities, VION is working to push back animal-related MRSA (methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Research has shown that animal-related MRSA rarely spreads from one person to another, and in contrast to other forms of MRSA, it can also be readily treated. It has also been demonstrated that MRSA does not spread through meat. Further studies are in progress at farm level to enhance control of animal-related MRSA.
Pushing back antibiotics
The use of antibiotics for livestock is a key concern for the public. VION acknowledges this concern, and actively participates in the Task Force on Resistance to Antibiotics in Animal Farming that was set up by the Dutch Government. Since 2008, parties in the Dutch food production chain have been working together on agreements to reduce the use of antibiotics, and the implementation of agreements and extra measures were taken in 2010. These agreements seek to achieve a substantial reduction of the use of antibiotics with 50% reduction by 2013.
VION endorses the general objective of antibiotics reduction in livestock farming. VION is also committed to the same strategy in other countries. Due to VION’s scale, the company can build up and roll out knowledge, enhancing animal health through a reduction in use of antibiotics, consistent with the approach of ‘better instead of more’.
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