1. Information on Special Expert Group
"Monitoring water content in poultry meat"
Dublin, Ireland, October 2018
Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets 8 November 2018

2. Outline Water content in poultry meat - background
Tasks of Expert group "Monitoring water content in poultry meat"
October 2018 Expert group meeting in Ireland

3. Water content in poultry meat - background
In addition to normal 'physiological water' some 'extraneous water' is accepted in poultry meat.
'Extraneous water' is unavoidable consequence of the water absorbed during the industrial processing of chicken
Limits for ‘extraneous water’ are set out in the marketing standards for poultry meat: Commission Regulation 543/2008
To protect consumers from excess ‘extraneous water’ in poultry meat

4. Expert group "Monitoring water content in poultry meat"
Set up under Article 19 of Commission Regulation 543/2008
Serves as the coordinating body for the testing activities of national reference laboratories
Consists of the Commission representatives and NRLs
Meets twice per year, in spring (in Brussels) and autumn (hosted by a Member State)

5. Tasks of the Expert group
Annex XII of Regulation 543/2008
"(a) supplying information on analytical methods and comparative testing regarding the water content of poultrymeat to the national reference laboratories;
(b) coordinating the application by the national reference laboratories of the methods referred to in (a), by organising comparative testing, and proficiency testing in particular;
(c) supporting the national reference laboratories in proficiency testing by providing scientific support for statistical data evaluation and reporting;
(d) coordinating the development of new analytical methods and informing the national reference laboratories of progress made in this area;
(e) providing scientific and technical assistance to the Commission, especially in cases where the results of analyses are contested between Member States."

6. Special expert group in Ireland, 17-18 October 2018
Hosted by Teagasc Food Research Centre & Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Two-day meeting, combining field trip on modern poultry rearing and processing in Ireland and discussion on topical issues

7. Day one – field trip Broiler rearing farm in Shercock
Intensive production organised in vertically integrated chain, ensuring full traceability of feed/birds/meat and strict biosecurity measures to prevent epizootic diseases
Manor Farm in Shercock
largest poultry slaughterhouse and processing plant in IE, vertical integration controlling feed mills, hatcheries and supplied by 170 farms under contract. Slaughtering capacity appr. 1 million birds per week
The company's strategy is meeting a growing domestic demand for poultry meat (predominantly breast meat), with part of frozen production is exported to France, UK and third countries such as South Africa and Asia.

8. Day two – expert group meeting
Introduction to Teagasc: The Agriculture and Food Development Authority, Ireland.
Overview of roles and responsibilities of Teagasc
Irish NRL for water content, extension services, research institution active in meat science
Ireland: An overview of the poultry industry in Ireland
poultry holdings, but only 855 with more than 1000 birds (2017).
In 2016, approx. 85 million birds were killed for human consumption
7 supervised slaughter plants with ~ 80 million broilers, ~ 3.6 million ducks and ~ 0.5 million turkeys. 4 hatcheries (95 % of all Irish broilers are "born" in 2 hatcheries)
Positives: Very integrated sector using harmonised standards – flexible and resilient sector
Negatives: massive potential for losses due to zoonotic diseases (avian influenza, Newcastle's disease, etc).

9. Day two – expert group meeting
Evaluation and interpretation of national control data from 2017
Control data reported by ISAMM – new fields introduced in 2017 (source of sample, country of origin, temperature condition, emerging chilling methods)
Continued trend of increased use of air spray chilling while immersion chilling declining
22% of poultry cuts analysed imported (BR, TH)
21% of poultry cuts over-the-limit (14% of EU cuts versus 41% non-EU cuts),
50% of over-the-limit cases where the limit is exceeded slightly (<0,1)
First results of the 2018 proficiency tests
Organised by Dutch NRL (RIKILT) supported by JRC Geel
Proficiency test in determination water content of chicken breast fillets and drumsticks
RIKILT homogenised samples and performed data analysis – labs followed the 'chemical test' for determination of water/protein ratio under Annex VIII of Regulation 543/2008
Promising results: for chicken filets all laboratories satisfactory result, while for drumsticks the results of only 2 participating NRLs questionable
Lessons learned & proposal for next collaborative project considered for the next year

10. Day two – meeting EU poultry market: situation and trends
Overview of current situation in terms of production, prices and trade with emphasis on poultry meat imports from third countries
Survey on the control organisation of water content in poultry meat
Commission Regulation 543/ discretion provided to Member States as regards designation of control authorities and control organisation
Survey objective: gather basic information on the organisation of control systems across Member States and contribute to information sharing within the Expert Group
Feedback received from 22 Member States
Clarification and proof check of survey's summary with respondents and a second call for feedback on those MS which have not replied
Sharing survey's summary within the Expert Group to support harmonised implementation of controls

11. Summary Expert group 'Monitoring water content in poultry meat'
Provides support in implementing Regulation 543/2008 concerning water content in poultry meat
Contributes to harmonised analysis of water content in poultry meat across Member States => better implementation of Regulation 543/2008
Building knowledge and up-to-date experience in the field
Assisting the Commission, in case of review of EU rules
CMO committee is regularly informed on the results of controls of water content in poultry meat each year, at its December meeting (next time on 13 December)