Game meat - Public health hazards and inspection Flashcards
What is wild game?
- Hunted for human consumption by trained person
- Wild ungulates, lagomorphs or birds
- Other land mammals e.g.squirrels
- Pheasant and partridge etc
- Mammals living in enclosed territory under conditions of freedom similar to those of wild game
What are the retailers requirements for wild game?
- Traceability - General Food Law Regulation
- Hygiene requirements Reg 852/2004 (on the hygiene of foodstuffs) inc.
- Temperature
- HACCP
- Transport
- Directly to the final consumer or to local retailers that directly supply the final consumer
Describe the antemortem inspection for farmed game
If slaughtered on the farm must be:
- inspected at ante-mortem by an OV within 3 days of slaughter
- Bodies accompanied by health certificate, FCI, humane slaughter declaration from the FBO
If transported for more than 2hrs need to be refrigerated
Describe the antemortem inspection for wild game
- Hunters declaration/documentation
- FBO should examine carcass prior to entry into the processing area for: death other than hunting, extensive contamination, HACCP
Describe the features of an approved game handling establishment
Approved by FSA
OV
Duties include:
- Verification of the hunter’s status as a trained person
- ex. Copy of certificate
- HACCP in place
- Approved protocols for handling ABP
Describe the traceability needed for farmed game
Identification rules as other red meat animals
- Deer: Ear-tags (TB order) and passports. Defra herd number, or British Deer Farmers Association (BDFA) herd registration number and Animal’s own unique number.
- Breeder - FCI with: Identity, Veterinary products /treatments administered inc. dates and withdrawal periods
Describe the traceability needed for wild game
Trained person declaration
If Unexpectedly unavailable:
- Head/viscera (except stomach & intestines)
- ID`d
- Correlated
- Otherwise: disposal as ABP
List some abnormal behaviours that need to be identified if present in wild game
- Non apprehensive towards humans
- Aggression
- Isolation from herd
- Locomotive difficulties
- Head tilt
- Abnormal gait
- Abnormal posture ex. bird with neck flexed and opening beak and wings
- Slow at escape
List some possible causes of abnormal behaviour/locomotion
Parasites
Chronic wasting disease
Tumour
Infection:
- Lyme disease
- Louping ill
- Pigeon paramyxovirus
Toxaemia
A trained person must be able to identify the body of game for which features?
- Muscle bulk
- Highly active animals but no nutritional support
- Lean vs emaciated: Adipose tissue, Coat
- Mucosae
- Natural orifices
- Traumatic lesions: Aging, Systemic repercussions
A trained person must be able to remove the viscera of large wild game and examine which features of the carcass?
- Odour
- Colour
- Gas
- Perforation
- Oedema/Transudate/Exudate
- Haemorrhages
- Adherences and other ex. mass (tumour or abscess), parasites
- If abnormal: must accompany the carcase
Describe the post-mortem inspection of farmed game
Requirements as per non game species
Rabbits & ostriches: visual only inspection
Describe the post-mortem inspection of wild game
- Either an MHI or OV, but not both, is required for post-mortem inspection exceptions apply
- OV will visit at least once a month
Describe disease surveillance in trichinella susceptible animals
- Head & diaphragm must accompany the carcass
- If carcass is wanting to be used as a Trophy: Approved ABP processing plant, dispatched after satisfactory trichinella test
- Freezing not an alternative to testing
Describe disease surveillance for tuberculosis
Animals slaughtered under TB control measures (England)
Slaughterhouse cases
- OV needs to notify APHA
- Applies to any species
Describe the PME of large game
- Contamination associated with gralloching.
- Visual examination of carcase, cavities and offal if present
- Further palpation and cuts or a laboratory examination, if necessary.
- Bullet wounds, shattered bones and muscular trauma
- Health marking
Describe the PME of small game
- If batch uniform & same species & same source: minimum of 5%
- Batches <20: 100% inspection
- If no FSA daily attendance OV and FBO arrange day for minimal requirements to be accomplished
Name 3 example reasons for total rejection of a game carcass
Exposure to pests? Ex. Blowfly
Unacceptable storage ex. ºC
Decomposition
Who applies healthmarks?
FSA
Large game is stored at what temp?
7 degrees
Small game is stored at what temp?
4 degrees
Describe the processing of large wild game carcasses
- Free bullet in head, neck or anterior chest- perforations?
- Eviscerated by trained person on location or delayed
- No need for head and the viscera to be presented except boars etc.
- Storage with skin/feather on
- Delayed cooling/ bleeding??
Describe the processing of small wild game carcasses
Multiple shot pellets
Not eviscerated
Trained person declaration not needed
If abnormal characteristics the trained person must inform
Describe some particularities of small game processing
- Clean paper permitted to remove feather debris and blood from the vent
- Breast meat can only be removed from plucked carcases or when the plucked breast has been protected from contamination from other feathers.
Where small wild game are to be traded unskinned / unplucked and uneviscerated they: - Traded only to another AGHE: ID mark
- May be frozen or deep frozen
- Stored separately from skinned and plucked
What are the game meat temperature requirements?
Large game = 7°C
Small game = 4°C
Which 3 pathogens are a hazard to all game spp?
E.coli
Salmonella
Campylobacter
Name 5 notifiable diseases of deer
Foot and mouth disease
Bovine tuberculosis
Bluetongue
Epizootic haemorrhagic virus disease
Chronic wasting disease (CWD)
What are the clinical signs of chronic wasting disease?
- poor body condition
- separation from herd,
- difficulty swallowing, drooling
- increased thirst and urination
- nervousness and excitement
- lowering of head, stumble
- apathy, walk in repeated patterns, tremors, paralysis
How does chronic wasting disease present on PME?
Serous atrophy of adipose tissue
Muscular atrophy
Aspiration pneumonia
Liquid or frothy ruminal contents
What are the clinical signs of Pigeon paramyxovirus
Lethargy
Vomiting or regurgitation
Green diarrhoea
Trembling wings and heads
Twisting of the neck
Head flicking
Anorexia
Dyspnoea
Discharge from eyes and beak
Death ~ 3 days
