The United Kingdom, and much of the rest of Western Europe, has seen a series of food “crises” over the last 10-15 years, which have shaken consumer confidence in the safety of the food they purchase. Such concerns have also led to the establishment of Food Safety/Standards Agencies in a number of European countries. The most serious food safety issue has been BSE, which has claimed the lives of many thousands of cattle and almost 100 people in the UK. The rise of BSE coincided with the appearance of highly pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella Enteritidis phage type (PT) 4 and Escherichia coli O157:H7. Campylobacter spp. also became highly important zoonotic pathogens during this period.

There is a public belief that the above bacterial pathogens, and BSE, gained a foothold in animal production as a consequence of the intensification of the industry. Although this is an over-simplification, there is no doubt that the presence of a large number of potential host animals in the same place at the same time facilitates both infection and horizontal transmission. Food safety cannot be separated from the economics of production, however, and with ever-falling profit margins farmers must find the most economical ways of producing animals. The unit costs of intensive production will often be lower than with extensive systems and thus it is highly likely that intensive animal production will continue. Does intensification necessarily mean unsafe? Is it possible to produce food at an affordable price that is free from microorganisms that are potentially pathogenic for man? These and other issues will be discussed with particular emphasis on Salmonella, Campylobacter and E.coli O157:H7.