Brussels, 25/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - The standing committee on the food chain and animal health gave its blessing to a proposal, on 25 April, aiming to reduce the prevalence of salmonella in chickens raised for human consumption. Under the draft regulation, which is to enter into force on 1 July 2007, the member states will have to reduce the prevalence of these bacteria, which are responsible for cases of food poisoning, often collective cases, to 1% between now and 2011. This threshold of 1% should allow operators to avoid any future bans on sales of their poultry products within the EU. The new legislation on the monitoring and eradication of animal disease provides that as of 2010, only meat from chickens for human consumption exempt from salmonella (further to analysis of a 25g sample) can be sold in the EU. Screening tests must be negative, otherwise the meat will be blocked or withdrawn from the market, the Commission states. The member states will have to keep the Commission informed of progress made towards the maximum 1% prevalence. Once the regulation has been published, in a few days' time, they will have six months to submit details of their national salmonella control programmes in chickens for human consumption to the Commission. (lc)