Campylobacter in broiler flocks in Norway 2023
Surveillance in 2023 showed that a total of 128 flocks (6.1%) tested positive for Campylobacter spp. when all broiler flocks slaughtered before 51 days of age during the period 1st of May –31st of October were tested. In total 2,100 flocks from 505 farms were sampled. Of all farms sampled, 83 (16.4%) had at least one positive flock, and of these, 28 had two or more positive flocks. The majority of the positive flocks comes from farms having more than one positive flock and even though these farms only represent 5.5% (28/505) of all farms tested, they contributed with 57.0% (73/128) of all positive flocks tested in 2023.
The carcasses from the positive flocks were either heat treated or frozen for a minimum of three weeks before being marketed. This year’s result is within the range from 2020-2022 with 6.1%, 5.8% and 4.8% positive flocks, respectively.
The prevalence is still very low, compared to most other European countries. The action plan regarding Campylobacter spp. in Norwegian broilers has been running since spring 2001.
