Study Links High Winds to Campylobacter Spread on Chicken Farms
A study conducted by Washington State University researchers found that high winds increased the prevalence of Campylobacter among outdoor chicken flocks. The researchers are calling attention to their findings so that organic and free-range chicken farmers whose flocks are exposed to the outdoor environment can better mitigate the food safety risk of high winds.
Observations of chicken farms in the U.S. West showed that about 26 percent of individual chickens at open environment farms had the pathogen, which included organic and free-range chicken farms. High winds the week prior to sampling and the farms' location in more intensive agricultural settings were linked to a greater prevalence of Campylobacter.