Epidemiology and quality assurance: applications at farm level

Animal production is relevant with respect to farm income and the position of the sector in the market, but also with respect to the quality and safet y of products of animal origin, related to public health. Animal production is part of a chain of food production. Therefore, producers have to take c onsumer expectations and demands in the domains of animal health, welfare a nd environment into account. A different attitude for production has to be adopted; this attitude can be visualized in good farming practice, GFP, cod es. Farmers who focused on quality in its broadest sense need a system supp orting them in their management and control of quality risks. Generally spe aking, there are three systems for that purpose: GFP, ISO and HACCP. When the hypothesis followed relates to animal health being a feature of qu ality, or else welfare and environmental issues, then animal health care ca n be executed following quality control principles. The HACCP concept is we ll suited for quality control at farm level, involving risk identification and risk management. The on-farm monitoring and surveillance system of crit ical control points in the animal production process is the most important tool in this procedure. Principles for HACCP application as well as certifi cation fitness of HACCP are elaborated upon. They are illustrated by using salmonellosis in meat-pig farms as objective for an HACCP approach. It is further discussed that, in addition to animal health and quality, ani mal welfare and environmental issues could also be covered by an HACCP-like system in an integrated manner. Ultimately, the HACCP modules could end up in an overall ISO certification. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.