Meat Industry & Slaughterhouses Flashcards
How do the USDA APHIS and FSIS work in the meat industry?
APHIS - animal health and welfare inspection/regulation
FSIS - meat inspection and regulation
What are the 3 major CCP at the slaughterhouse?
- receiving
- antemortem inspection - reject dying, diseased, disabled, and dead animals, and those within the drug withdrawal period
- postmortem inspection - reject whole carcasses with deformities or a part of the carcass with a localized abnormality
What requirements need to be met in the slaughterhouse to maintain meat hygiene? What happens if these are not met?
- 20 GHP requirements
- 12 HACCP requirements
- 5 freedoms of animal welfare
inspector veterinarian has the power to stop operations of the slaughterhouse based on GHP, HACCP, and welfare terms
How is the animal movement in the meat industry described?
relay system - vets send and other vets receive
What happens after ruminants, poultry, and pigs are bled?
RUMINANTS - skinned, head and hooves removed
POULTRY - scalded, de-feathered
PIGS - scalded, hair and nails removed, singed
What HACCP step occurs at the trim and washing stage in the slaughterhouse?
decontaminated by spraying with high pressure water, stream, <5% acetic acid, lactic acid, chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, or inorganic acids
What do all animals need before they are able to be sent to slaughterhouses?
legal travel documents and health certificates
- only legal and healthy ones are approved by vet inspectors and sent
How long are animals able to travel?
no travel without rest, food, and water for over 28 hours
How long are animals able to be held in liarage? What do inspectors do at this point?
maximum waiting time of 12 hours in the holding pen
antemortem inspection, health and immune handling verification
How soon must antemortem inspections be done by the time of arrival to the slaughterhouse?
only animals inspected within 24 hours and ruled out for the condemnation may pass into slaughter
What are the 2 categories of food animals based on free movement? Which ones are put into lairage?
- free moving - cattle, buffalo, bison, sheep, goats, camelids, deer, horses, pigs, ratites (flightless birds)
- animals in crates or containers - rabbits, domestic birds
lairage is needed only for free-moving animals
What inhumane handling during the transportation of animals is banned?
- excessive beating or prodding
- dragging
- depriving of water and rest (28 hr rule)
- overcrowding
What is the most common inhumane handling that occurs during unloading? How can this be avoided?
allowing animals to fall or jump from the vehicle
- slope that’s as flat as possible
- walls or railings
What inhumane handling during holding must be avoided?
- leaving disabled animals exposed to adverse conditions while waiting for disposition
- dragging
- depriving food or water (24 hr)
- overcrowding in lairage
- unclean pens and ramps
How can we avoid unnecessarily depleting muscle glycogen reserves in animals during transportation?
ensure the animals are stress and injury free during operations prior to slaughter
What 2 guidelines indicate that there is a welfare problem in the unloading area?
- > 1% of the animals falling during unloading
- > 5% of animals unloaded using an electric prod
What are the 4 purposes if antemortem inspection? What does this identify?
- ensure animal welfare
- detect and report signs of OIE notifiable diseases
- remove or label condemned animals with 4Ds from the food chain
- remove any sign of a condition that might adversely affect humans
identified animals not fit for human consumption
What 8 diseases common in the slaughterhouse require to be notified to the OIE?
- tuberculosis
- actinobacillosis
- FMD
- anthrax
- rabies
- tetanus
- black quarter
- mastitis
What individuals conduct the antemortem inspections? What happens when they label animals showing signs of being sick as suspect?
USDA FSIS veterinarians
segregated from healthy animals for a more thorough inspection during processing procedures
What 10 things are inspected at the antemortem exam?
- owner and farm address
- animal identity (species, breed, age, sex, health, and treatment record)
- physiological parameters - TPR; fever, pulse abnormalities, labored breathing
- behavioral abnormalities - excitability, shaking, depression
- gait abnormalities - non-ambulatory, lameness
- posture abnormalities
- abnormal structure and conformation - lumpy jaw, cancer, wooden tongue, sores, lesions
- abnormal discharges
- abnormal eyes or gum colors - jaundice, anemia
- abnormal odor - urine, swine sexual odor
What are the normal animal temperature ranges for cattle, swine, sheep, and horses? When are they condemned at antemortem inspection?
CATTLE = 100.0 - 102.5 —> 105.0
SWINE = 100.5 - 104.0 —> 106.0
SHEEP = 102.0 - 104.0 —> 105.0
HORSE = 99.0 - 100.5 —> 105.0
What are the 3 possible decisions at antemortem inspection?
- passed for slaughter - fit for human consumption given that it also passes postmortem inspection
- held or suspected - further inspection necessary
- condemned or rejected - dead, dying, diseased, disabled, downer
How are animals condemned or rejected at slaughter commonly used?
used/salvaged for rendering for pet food
What are the 5 steps to the humane slaughter of poultry? How does this compare for large animals?
- walk to slaughter respectfully
- shackle/hand birds
- stunning - 3 second electric current, 1.5-3 min exposure to 90% CO2
- sticking - cut through within 15 seconds of stunning
- bleed - 2-6 minutes for completeness
LARGE ANIMALS = hanging done after stunning
What are the 3 types of animal stunning methods? What cultural/religious beliefs differ?
- mechanical - cattle are stunned with a penetrative captive bolt device
- electrical
- chemical - 80-90% CO2 in atmospheric air in a tunnel common in pig abattoirs
Halal, Jewish - allowed to slaughter as per their ritual and religion, commonly avoiding stunning
How should the captive bolt device be used with different species and ages? What is the recommended site?
alter position and angle of stunning
center front of head between the eyes and the base of the horns/ears
How are birds electrically stunned? How long should this be done in ducks, geese, and turkey? Remaning poultry?
- hang birds on shackle/rail lines
- immerse/dive them in electrified water bath
2 mins
1 min
How are mammals electrically stunned? What follows?
- apply electrodes on opposite side of the head so the electrical current spans the brain and allow the current to flow for at least 3 secs
- immediately stick (cut throat) within 15 secs for all species
What animals are commonly stunned using gas? How is this done?
poultry and pigs
animals are moved on conveyors through a tunnel for 90 second exposure to 80-90% heavier than air CO2 or argon in an open controlled atmonsphere stunning system (2-3 mins may kill the animal instead of stunning)
In what 2 ways does gas stunning cause unconsciousness?
- displaces oxygen (<2%) - hypoxia
- rapidly decreases intracellular pH and cellular function through acute hypercapnia - CO2 alone or together with inert gases and supplemental oxygen
What is sticking? When must it occur?
cutting the throat of stunned animals
within 15 seconds of being stunned before it becomes conscious and sensitive
Where does the life and welfare of the animal end? How long does this occur?
hoisting/hanging and bleeding
2-6 minutes in a vertical position - brain starts to die within 15-20 seconds once its blood supply has been interrupted
What 3 steps of the slaughter process are specifically done in pig and poultry? What 2 steps need to be done extremely carefully to avoid microbial contamination?
- scalding (de-hiding)
- de-hairing, de-feathering
- singing
- skinning
- evisceration
How are pigs and poultry scalded?
immersed in a water bath
- 0.5-3 min at 50-63 C for poultry
- 0.5-3 min at 61-63 C for pigs
Why must skinning be done carefully?
external part of the skin cannot touch the meat, or else it will contaminate it with hair, dirt, and skin commensals
What is scalding? What is its purpose?
denaturing the proteins of the hair or feather follicle (breaks down muscles holding the feather)
- eases feather removal fo automated plucking machines
What are the 3 types of scalding approaches? In what birds are they used for? What results are obtained?
- SOFT/SEMI SCALDING - 50-53 C for 1-3 mins for young broilers and turkeys; outer layer of epidermis (waxy cuticle, yellow pigment) remains in tact
- MEDIUM/SUB SCALDING - 54-58 C for 1-2 mins for mature birds with tightly attached feathers; waxy cuticle removed, providing a more white skin
- HARD SCALDING - 60-63 C for 0.5-1.5 mins for waterfowl; waxy cuticle removed, providing a more white skin
What is singeing?
scorching or burning hairs off of the body
What is evisceration?
careful dissection of the abdominal midline to remove the entire contents of the abdominal cavity
Where does most food contamination occur?
skinning and evisceration
What is the electric saw used for?
longitudinally splitting carcass
How are most carcasses washed?
high pressure spraying with chlorine
- also: <5% acetic acid, lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, or inorganic acids
What are the 3 major CCPs used with poultry at abattoirs?
- scalding and mechanical plucking - removal of outer epidermal layer to serve as a more suitable substrate for bacterial attachment
- de-feathering - major site of cross-contamination by Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, and Staph. aureus
- spray decontamination - physical, chemical
What are the 4 basic techniques used in postmortem inspections?
- visual examination
- palpation
- incision examination
- rapid on-site laboratory test of pH, Trichinella larvae (microscopy of pepsin-digested pork carcass), TB granuloma (Ziehl-Neilsen stain), jaundice
What 9 aspects are examined for on the carcass, organs, and blood during the postmortem exam?
- age and sex
- nutrition state
- local/general edema
- efficacy of bleeding
- swelling/deformity
- abnormal color
- odor
- condition of pleura or peritoneum
- signs of specific disease
What 8 vital organs must be inspected on a postmortem exam? What 3 additional ones are included?
- lymph nodes
- muscle
- heart
- tongue
- cheek muscles
- lungs
- liver
- kidney
spleen, uterus, udder
What 4 decisions do vet inspectors come to after performing a postmortem exam?
- carcass and organs accepted
- partial/local rejection - remaining is fit after trimming
- hold carcass for further testing
- rejection of whole carcass and organs
What are the top 3 reasons for cattle organ condemnation?
- malignant lymphoma
- septicemia
- pneumonia
Whole carcass rejection:
What are the most common causes of partial organ condemnation?
- abscesses
- brusing
- cysticercus bovis
- liver fluke (Fasciola)
- joint lesions (arthritis)
- pneumonia/pleurisy
- hydatid cyst
How is the approval after postmortem exam confirmed? What happens after the exam?
official USDA-FSIS stamp for wholesomeness
transferred to chilling room for ripening, dry-aging, and wet-aging
At what points in the slaughter process is it common for the welfare of cattle and pigs/poulty to be abused?
CATTLE - shackling, hoisting, and sticking of conscious animals
PIGS/POULTRY - scalding and bleeding of conscious animals
What hygienic corrective measures are used for sticking, skinning, and evisceration to avoid contamination?
STICKING - clean and sterilize knife between each animal in hot water
SKINNING - avoid contact of a contaminated knife and outside of skin with carcass
EVISCERATION - tie esophagus and rectum
What hygiene corrective measures are used for washing, storage, personnel, and waste/pest control to avoid contamination?
WASHING - use potable water
STORAGE - chill carcasses to avoid pathogen growth on the meat
PERSONNEL - train personnel about personal hygiene
W/P - manure composting and pest control
What do vet inspectors do before allowing animals to enter a slaughterhouse?
inspect and ensure slaughterhouses meet GHP
