An investigation by ITN news, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism & the Guardian newspaper reveals a Salmonella outbreak in the UK and Europe in 2020-2021 was from chicken products from Poland. It also found that the chickens were given antibiotics used to treat human Salmonella infections raising the growing concern over antibiotic resistance.

Some experts believe antibiotic resistance will become a similar size problem as cancer by 2050, if antibiotics are given to animals who are not sick, but given solely on the basis to protect a flock or herd, as humans will become resistant to antibiotics that are used to treat their illnesses.

The frozen breaded chicken products such as chicken wings, chicken breasts etc were sold by Asda, Iceland & Lidl. 

Link to the video below.

https://www.itv.com/watch/news/supermarket-chicken-dosed-with-antibiotics-linked-to-rise-of-deadly-superbugs/ky7bbd8

In the recent “Border Target Operating Model” consultation this year by the Cabinet Office, it stated on page numbered 16 under point 41:

“a recent UK-wide Salmonella outbreak caused by chicken products originating from the EU, resulted in over 1000 confirmed cases of illness (with potentially as many as 4000 additional cases which were not confirmed/reported) and cost an estimated £7.7m”. 

In the ITV video mentioned above it states 5 people also died due to this Salmonella outbreak.

A remote European Commission’s health and safety agency DG Sante audit, in October 2021 in Poland, followed-up two audits in 2019 on Beef and Poultry meat suggested there were still considerable problems remaining in the Polish control system. (Audit number 2021-7187)

In 2019 we were still in the European Union therefore it raises the question as to why the outbreak in 2020-2021 was not prevented by the European Commission or by our own Food Standards Agency (FSA) or the Department of the Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) by simply banning the imports, on the grounds of regulatory failure, until the problems in the Polish control system were rectified.