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IRA Team Meeting Summaries
Chicken Meat IRA team meeting, 2 July 2008
The chicken meat import risk analysis (IRA) team met via teleconference on 2 July 2008. The meeting discussed matters arising from the Eminent Scientist Group (ESG) report:
- avian influenza inactivation;
- human health issues; and
- auditing and monitoring to ensure compliance with the IRA.
The IRA team did not set a date for any further meetings.
Chicken Meat IRA team meeting, 11 September 2007
The chicken meat import risk analysis (IRA) team met via teleconference on 11 September 2007. The meeting discussed:
- heat inactivation recommendations for Newcastle disease and avian influenza virus; and
- Australian industry cooking practices for unprocessed chicken meat.
The IRA team did not set a date for any future meetings.
Chicken Meat IRA team meeting, 31 August 2007
The chicken meat import risk analysis (IRA) team met via teleconference on 31 August 2007. The meeting discussed:
- heat inactivation recommendations in the report received from DWC FoodTech Pty Ltd; and
- the IRA team requested further discussion on the matter.
The IRA team set a date of 11 September 2007 for the next teleconference.
Chicken Meat IRA team meeting, 8 June 2007
The chicken meat import risk analysis (IRA) team met in Canberra on 8 June 2007. The meeting discussed:
- submissions on the draft IRA report that was issued for public comment in June 2006;
- letters received from the Department of Health and Ageing in response to questions raised by stakeholders and the IRA team;
- progress on the consultant's report regarding the heat inactivation data; and
- editorial changes for the draft final IRA report for the Eminent Scientists Group.
The IRA team set a date of 22 October 2007 for the next meeting, if required.
Chicken Meat IRA team meeting, 16-17 April 2007
The chicken meat import risk analysis (IRA) team met in Canberra on 16-17 April 2007. The meeting discussed:
- submissions on the draft IRA report that was issued for public comment in June 2006;
- a letter from the Australian Chicken Meat Federation, received in response to questions from the IRA team on disease surveillance and vaccination practices in Australia;
- expert advice received on the infectious bursal disease chapter; and
- other issues related to preparing a draft final IRA report to be reviewed by the Eminent Scientists Group.
The IRA team set a tentative date of 8 June 2007 for the next meeting.
Chicken Meat IRA team meeting, 23 February 2007
The chicken meat import risk analysis (IRA) team met in Canberra on 23 February 2007. The meeting discussed submissions on the draft IRA report that was issued for public comment in July 2006.
Following the meeting of 8 December 2006, the IRA team had sought advice from:
- the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing on human health issues;
- industry and scientific experts on surveillance systems for disease agents; and
- a food technologist on cooking requirements to inactivate disease agents of quarantine concern.
Not all information sought had been received by the time of the meeting.
During the meeting, the IRA team discussed issues raised in stakeholder submissions and advice from scientific experts on infectious bursal disease (IBD) virus. In light of comments received on the draft IRA report, the IRA team will clarify the hazard refinement and method for risk assessment in the final IRA report. The IRA team undertook to further examine the scientific evidence regarding transmission of arboviruses in meat.
The IRA team set a tentative date of 16-17 April 2007 for the next meeting.
Chicken Meat IRA team meeting, 8 December 2006
The chicken meat import risk analysis (IRA) team met in Canberra on 8 December 2006 to consider stakeholder submissions on the Draft Generic IRA Report for Chicken Meat. As some stakeholders raised human health and food safety issues, representatives from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) were invited to the meeting.
The meeting discussed the role of the Eminent Scientists Group in the IRA process and agreed that stakeholder submissions would be catalogued to ensure all comments were addressed.
DoHA and FSANZ undertook to provide advice on human health issues that are outside Biosecurity Australia's role in animal health. The role of the Director of Human Quarantine with respect to potential human health effects associated with imported foods was discussed. DoHA also undertook to refer the issue of antimicrobial resistance arising from use of fluoroquinolones in overseas poultry flocks to the Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (EAGAR) for advice.
In response to stakeholder questions on Australia's existing surveillance systems for endemic and exotic disease agents, it was agreed that more information should be sought from Australian poultry industry representatives and scientific experts.
On cooking requirements, the meeting agreed that further expertise should be sought to evaluate available scientific papers on which the cooking guidelines in the draft IRA report were based.
Regarding restrictions on vaccination of meat chickens, the meeting resolved to review the scientific basis for the restrictions.
In reviewing comments on methodology issues, the meeting noted that the method used was reviewed by a number of internal and external reviewers before the draft IRA report was released.
The IRA team set a tentative date of 23 February 2007 for the next meeting.