An Incentive System for Salmonella Control in the Pork Supply Chain

2001). Infection of pigs with Salmonella can occur on the farm. Pigs can also be infected during
transport and lairage, and meat can be contaminated during slaughter. One out of four cases of human
salmonellosis is caused by a serotype occurring in pigs (van Pelt and Valkenburg, 2001). Therefore,
pork can be regarded as an important source of food borne salmonellosis.

Starting in 2008, it will be mandatory for all member states of the European Union to test pork
and pork products for all Salmonella serotypes with public health significance and to certify such
products for trade. To meet these statutory demands, each country will be required to implement a
control program in the pork supply chain. But there is a need for more information on the cost
effectiveness of control measures and on trade-offs between prevalence reduction and related gains and
costs.

Trade-offs in pork and dairy chains are reported for a wide range of food safety measures (van
der Gaag, 2004a; Valeeva et al., 2006). At present, however, pork supply chains in most European
countries have neither a formal control system that spans the entire chain nor payment differentials
based on Salmonella contamination. A mandatory Salmonella control program has already been in
place in Denmark since 1995. Its main focus is on Salmonella control in the primairy production. The
Dutch pork chain has no differentiation in payments to producers with respect to the contamination of
the product with Salmonella, so there is no direct incentive for producers to reduce the Salmonella
prevalence.

Nielsen et al. (2005) analysed the cost effectiveness of the Danish Salmonella control program.
They concluded that further on-farm initiatives cannot reduce the Salmonella prevalence in Danish
pork sufficiently. Only intensified focus on slaughterhouse measures can further reduce the prevalence
of Salmonella in pork (Alban and Goldbach, 2005). The Dutch pig industry focuses on developing

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