In this blog, Stella Ntachampre, Veterinary Advisor at APHA, shares her perspective on the importance of protecting animal and public health, and the vital role collaboration plays in safeguarding the United Kingdom's food supply.
I grew up in a farming family. My grandparents kept livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry. And long before I trained as a vet, I had learned something simple and profound: what happens on a farm never stays on a farm. Good hygiene, careful handling, and clean housing go on to shape the safety of the food we all eat.
That love of animals, and that instinct that farming done well matters to everyone, led me to what I do today: working for the ‘One Health’ team of the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). APHA is a specialist government agency that is part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and it exists to protect animal and plant health to benefit people, the economy and the environment.
In my role, I have been involved in prevention and control of a range of diseases, both zoonotic (spread between humans and animals) and foodborne. I have carried out frontline work with farmers and others; and used surveillance, epidemiology (the study of how diseases spread and how to control or prevent them), and laboratory science to help manage disease risks.
This blog is a snapshot of why that work matters, and why it depends on all of us.
What I see every dayOver the years, I have come to appreciate how closely animal health, public health, and environmental health are interlinked. And nowhere is this truer than in the case of Salmonella. As a common foodborne illness, Salmonella can easily spread to people through consuming contaminated water or food, especially raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and eggs. Because of these risks, National Control Programmes (NCPs) were introduced by the government. They were developed in partnership with assurance schemes, farmers, the poultry industry, vets, scientists, public health and food standards specialists in local and central government. Their purpose is to help keep people safe. Crucially, these programmes mean working together to keep Salmonella out of the food chain.
My early lesson about the importance of working together is something I experience every day. I have learnt that food safety is not just a laboratory issue, or a farm issue, or a public health issue: it is all of them. It only works when every part of the system works together.
The egg crisis that changed everythingIn 1988, in a TV interview, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Edwina Currie, warned that “most of the egg production in this country … is now affected by Salmonella”. Egg sales fell sharply, and confidence in the poultry industry took years to recover. But out of that crisis came a determined, long-term effort to tackle Salmonella at source – on farms. Alongside industry assurance schemes and improvements in food safety practices, a more structured approach to controlling Salmonella developed over the following years. By 2007, formal NCPs had been introduced, making regular testing compulsory and setting out exactly what must happen if Salmonella is found. The aim was simple: stop the problem before it starts.
Why Salmonella still mattersDespite these efforts, Salmonella continues to be one of the most common causes of foodborne illness in the United Kingdom (UK). It can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and high fever. In the young, elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, it can lead to hospitalisation or even death.
Salmonella cases in England reached a ten-year high in 2025 but the increase in human cases is not reflected in animal surveillance. This rise appears to be driven by multiple factors and, to date, there is no evidence linking this rise with UK poultry or eggs. Thanks to NCPs and farmers being vigilant and testing their flocks, and through DNA testing of the bacteria and tracing work, we can see that the UK’s on-farm controls continue to be very effective.
How we work with farmers to control SalmonellaThe NCPs protect public health by reducing Salmonella across the commercial poultry (in this case chickens and turkeys) sectors, for example egg producers, breeding flocks and broilers. It relies on farmers/producers, vets, labs, public health, food standards, local authorities, working closely together.
In practice, this system works through four main steps:
Step 1 – keeping Salmonella outOn farms, keepers are responsible for ensuring clean housing, controlled access, safe feed and water, pest control and good hygiene practices. This we collectively call biosecurity.
Step 2 – regular testing of the flock for early detection of any problemFarmers and keepers also have responsibility for ongoing sampling and testing for Salmonella. This involves a specific collection of samples from the birds’ environment, in line with a strict testing schedule. These are then tested according to internationally recognised standards at only approved laboratories.
Accurate sampling is essential because every sample contributes to our understanding of Salmonella risk across the poultry sector. By following agreed sampling procedures, producers help provide the reliable surveillance data that underpins the whole control programme. Where additional support is needed, APHA works alongside producers to ensure sampling is carried out consistently and effectively, helping to maintain confidence in the system and protect public health.
Independent assurance comes from APHA field staff and partners, who conduct official visits to verify compliance, biosecurity standards and sampling technique.
Step 3 – following the egg beyond the farmSalmonella control does not end when birds leave the farm. APHA’s One Health work includes oversight of egg packing centres through Egg Marketing Inspectors. The food business operators also play a leading role in maintaining standards throughout the supply chain.
Step 4 – rapid response when Salmonella is foundWhen a regulated Salmonella strain is found, each case is investigated, working with the farmers to implement our statutory guidance. To protect public health, it may be required for farmers to restrict the movement of their affected flocks and eggs. While restrictions can be difficult for affected businesses, they are a key part of maintaining confidence in UK poultry products and preventing contaminated products entering the food chain. When this happens, we also coordinate with private vets, local authorities, food standards and public health teams. We know this has a significant financial and emotional impact on a farm, and we do our best to handle such situations as effectively and sensitively as possible to protect animal and public health.
What we have achieved – and why none of us can take our eyes off the ballWe believe that our work has made a difference. Since the NCPs were introduced in 2007, Salmonella levels in UK poultry have fallen significantly. According to APHA's 2025 annual report, the proportion of GB flocks testing positive for regulated Salmonella remained very low in 2025, at 0.43% in laying hens and 0.004% (<0.01%) in broilers, among the lowest rates in Europe.
However, there remains a risk of introduction of Salmonella to our poultry flocks from the environment, wild birds, rodents, and other breaches in biosecurity. Global trade brings new pressures: with recent incident investigations tracing human cases to imported eggs and poultry. Climate change is altering the habitats of wildlife that may carry Salmonella. And the poultry industry itself continues to evolve – larger farms, different housing systems, new production methods – all of which require the control programmes to keep pace.
A shared responsibility – from farms to homesWe have proven that this network of shared responsibility works. Farmers, assurance schemes, and processors invest in prevention; laboratories provide reliable and efficient testing; regulators ensure consistency and fairness; and animal and public health teams monitor trends. Together, we protect public health every day.
That commitment is what keeps British eggs and poultry among the safest in Europe. We firmly believe this is a status worth protecting.
seen at 09:43, 22 September in APHA Science Blog.