E coli inquiry says open farms need better hygiene
Visitors to Britain's open farms are being urged to take greater care to avoid contact with animal droppings in order to reduce their risk of being infected with a potentially fatal form of the E coli bacterium. That advice is contained in the report of the independent inquiry into the biggest outbreak of E coli 0157 at a UK open farm, which last summer affected 93 people, 76 of whom were children under 10.
The Guardian (16 June, p.12)
The Independent (16 June, p.24)
Soil Association comment: The Soil Association is keen to ensure that all organic farms on our open farm network and all farms working with the Soil Association-led Food for Life Partnership, which host visits for school children, are as safe as possible. We will be working with other organisations who promote farm visits to see how the recommendations can best be implemented in order to provide the safest environment for visitors, yet not losing the authenticity of a working farm. Whilst the consequences of this outbreak have been very serious, and the risk is very real, such incidents are rare given that millions of people visit farms each year.