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June 2005 |
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Poultry & Health |
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Countries from European Union
restrain the use of
growth-promoting additives
in animal production.
The news linking illness and poultry production are raising, as the
ones shown below. |
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AVISITE-
http://www.avisite.com.br/noticias/default.asp?codnoticia=5712
"South
Korea announced to be suspending the import of poultry products
from the state of New York, USA. It is based on a suspicion that ocurred bird flu in one
of the NY provinces.”
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JUSTFOOD.COM
- June 16th, 2005
INDONESIA:
"The first human case of bird flu was identified in Indonesia after a
poultry worker tested positive this month." |
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Planeta Orgânico is
receiving a lot of e-mails asking for information about “green
chicken” and
artificial growth-promoting additives.
In order to clarify this and other questions
related to this topic, we interviewed Luiz Carlos Demattê Filho, veterinarian,
Korin’s
animal production manager and
president of Aval -
Associação de Avicultura Alternativa (Alternative
Aviculture Association). |
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"From
the production point of view, one great concern is Bird Flu. The
appearance of this illness in Brazil would lead to significant
economic losses for the whole production chain" |
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Luiz Carlos Demattê Filho |
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PO -
What are artificial growth
promoters? |
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LCD
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In fact, growth promoters are antibiotics and chemotherapeutic products
used in small doses in
feed, with a view to promoting growth by means
of selective control of the animal’s intestinal flora. |
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| PO - What are the reasons for restrictions on the use of
the growth promoters additives in animal production, especially those
imposed by the European Union? |
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LCD
- As they are
antibiotics, these substances have been criticized as being
potentially capable of generating bacterial resistance, with this
resistance affecting human beings through contamination with
resistant bacteria present in food. In addition, it has been
scientifically proved that the residues of such substances are
harmful to our health even in tiny concentrations, as was the case
with nitro-furans, whose residual molecules, present in the
meat of
animals, have proven cancerigen properties. The risk of allergic
reactions to such residues should also be taken seriously. We know,
for example, about people who are sensitive to certain antibiotics
and who experience serious problems when they are exposed to these
substances. I believe that the most important thing for them is to
realize that this can happen and to know in which foods they are not
present. |
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See at the end of
this page an explanation about growth
promoters |
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PO - How does Korin see the
demand for “green” chicken? |
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LCD - On the one hand, we see it as very natural, because since the
beginning – and in spite of all the difficulties in the
implementation of a pioneering project – we have always been
absolutely convinced that this would be the path to follow;
and on the other hand, we’re very happy about it because we
know the benefits such food brings to people’s health and to
society. |
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PO - When
did Korin start working with ecological chicken? |
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LCD - In 1995, Korin Agropecuária Ltda. started raising natural
chickens in Ipeúna –State of São Paulo, with a view to offering
consumers a differentiated product and attending a growing market
segment, that of healthy natural food. |
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PO - What are the main differences between Korin’s
chicken production and that of conventional chicken? |
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LCD - In comparison to conventional chicken, alternative
chicken production also maintains industrial features, but it makes
judicious use of the technological progress achieved by the
Brazilian poultry-breeding industry over the years. The birds are
raised in properly equipped
growing-houses, and are housed at lower
stocking densities
than those employed in the conventional system, with a view to
complying with the requirements of animal welfare. The alternative
chicken has a unique characteristic, that is, all
feed supplied
while the
birds
are raised is free of ingredients of animal origin, antibiotics,
growth promoters,
anti-coccidis and
other chemical remedies, thus giving the consumer unmatched
advantages in terms of safety and health.
As a way to ensure product
quality and the total absence of the substances I mentioned
previously, there is a laboratory program for monitoring residues in
raw materials, in
the live birds and in the final product. Another
means of ensuring the quality of the product is the work carried out
with
the
integrated
farmers, in the form of training, higher
remuneration than in the case of conventional chicken, and
encouragement to seek better production rates. By means of such
initiatives, Korin has been increasingly fulfilling its mission of
improving the quality of life of rural producers, who, in turn, have
been making it possible to achieve better and better production
rates. |
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PO -
How can the consumer be sure of taking home chicken with no growth promoters? |
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LCD - We
have a careful program for monitoring antibiotic residues in both
live and slaughtered chickens and in the
feed, by means of
laboratory analyses at our producers’ premises, at the
slaughtering house and at the
feed plant, respectively. In
addition, the crucial aspects in the production process are totally
controlled by ourselves, such as technical assistance, the birds
in
the growing-houses, and especially, all the
feed consumed
is
produced in our own factory, and registered at the Federal
Inspection Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Supply. |
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PO - What
is the importance attributed to research at Korin? |
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LCD
- As
I said before, Korin carried out a pioneering development project in
the production of chicken completely free of the use of antibiotics,
growth
promoters, chemotherapeutic products,
anti-coccidians and ingredients of animal origin, such as meat and
feather meals, in the chickens’ diet. Thus, research was
inherent to all this development and therefore fundamental for the
success we are currently achieving. We also set up partnerships with
Universities, such as UNESP and ESALQ; and we have several studies
already published and others under way. |
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PO - What
aspects of the present scenario for chicken production and
consumption most concern Korin at the moment? |
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LCD - From
the production point of view, one great concern is Bird Flu. The
appearance of this illness in Brazil would lead to significant
economic losses for the whole production chain. From the point of
view of consumption, I think it is worrying how little importance is
attached by public entities, health professionals and the public in
general to the issue of chemical residues present in food. I believe
that many serious illnesses could be avoided if a more serious
posture was taken in making people aware of this problem. |
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PO - What
activities has Korin been promoting focusing on domestic
consumption, and what actions are being implemented in order to
conquer the foreign market? |
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KORIN's
chicken, exported to Japan |
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LCD
- Important
partnerships are being built by the company’s management with
a view to taking the good news of clean food, produced under
natural conditions, to a larger number of people. An example of
that is Korin’s constant participation in important events of
the sector, such as BIOFACH, FISPAL and various seminars and
meetings throughout the country, at which we present our work.
With regard to the foreign market, business meetings in
Europe and Japan have been scheduled for this month of June. In
fact, we already export to Japan. |
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PO - What
does Korin intend to promote during BioFach Latin America and Expo
Sustentat 2005? |
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LCD
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I
believe that the philosophy that guides our work, which comes from
the writings and guidance left by Mokichi Okada, the forerunner of
Natural Farming, is an important point to be disseminated as an
efficient and viable model for food production with environmental
and social sustainability. Based on this model, Korin has been
developing a line of
products for agriculture and livestock
production, which has been achieving excellent results, and I think
that this would be a good space for such ideas to be disseminated. |
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