The Salmonella surveillance and control programme in Norway

In Norway, the surveillance and control of Salmonella in live pigs and pork meat is a part of a national Salmonella surveillance and control programme, which covers both live animals (pigs, cattle and poultry) and animal products (meat) (1,2). The programme was launched in 1995, in parallel to the programmes in Sweden and Finland (3,4), in connection with negotiations for membership of the EU. The aim of the programme is to ensure that food products of animal origin are virtually free from Salmonella and to provide reliable documentation of the prevalence of Salmonella. When Salmonella is found in live pigs, action is taken to elintinate the infection, prevent transntission to other herds and prevent contamination of food products. In addition, an investigation aiming at finding the source of the infection or contantination is initiated. Isolation of any Salmonella sp. must be notified