PH20: Post Mortem Inspection and Judgement on Meat

Question 1

Whatis the purpose of a PMI?

Answer 1

To detect

• Disease of public health significance
• Diseases of animal health significance
• Residues or contaminants in excess of the levels allowed by legislation
• Lesions relevant to animal welfare
• Non-compliance with microbiological criteria

Question 2

What are the key principles of PMI?

Answer 2

• Inspect all carcases and accompanying offal.
• Keep correlation of carcases and offal at all times.
• Must be carried out without undue delay after slaughter.
• Avoid contaminating meat: • Minimal handling
• Speed of line and number of inspection staff must allow for PMI and recording.
• Particular attention to zoonoses and notifiable diseases.

Question 3

Who can inspect carcasses in the abattoirs?

Answer 3

OV and MHI

The ov need not be present at all times during post-mortem inspection if an MHI carries out post-mortem inspection and puts aside abnormal meat with uncommonly occuring conditions

Question 4

What are the most common abattoir findings in GB for cattle? Sheep? Pigs?

Answer 4

Question 5

How should the carcass be presented for PMI?

Answer 5

Skinning: all carcases and body part must be completely skinned (exception: pigs, feet of sheep/goats/bovines)

Spleen must be completely removed whole and presented with carcasses

Delay uteri removal to allow grading of cows/heifers

Question 6

What are the facility requirements for PMI?

Answer 6

Space and lighting

Access to top of carcases via platforms

Presentation of offal

Splitting of carcases

Question 7

What lymph nodes of a cattle carcase need to be observed?

Answer 7

Superficial inguinal

External and internal iliac

Renal lymph nodes

Question 8

What is different about a PMI of a pig?

Answer 8

Visual inspection only

Further inspection procedures can be carried out when there is an indication of a risk to PH, animal health, or welfare

Question 9

What are the different outcomes of PMI/judgement of meat?

Answer 9

1. No pathologies or abnormalities detected
2. Local pathologies/abnormalities detected = partially unfit
3. Generalised condition = totally unfit
4. Detain meat for further examination

Question 10

What are the reasons for declaring meat/offal unfit for human consumption?

Answer 10

• Not undergone AMI or PMI
• Dead before slaughter, stillborn, slaughtered under 7 days of age
• Generalised diseases or emaciated
• Patho-physiological changes
• Anomalies inconsistency
• Insufficient bleeding
• Organoleptic anomalies
• Parasitic infestation
• Positive BSE, Trichinella, Residues
• Contains Foreign Bodies
• Soiling of feacal or other contamination

Question 11

What does the Health Mark look like?

Answer 11

Applied directly on red meat carcases and game meat

Oval - 6.5cm wide and 4.5cm high

Must contain: country of origin, plants approval number, community mark

Each section bears a health mark (up to 6 may be required)

Food safe dye - chocolate brown

Question 12

When is the health mark withheld?

Answer 12

• Animal or carcass did not pass AMI or PMI
• Carcases presented for inspection with visible contamination or gross pathology,
• Carcases produced in a slaughterhouse in which the water supply is found to be contaminated, and a risk to public health exists,
• Inadequate facilities for inspection,
• Risk that a carcase with visible contamination or gross pathology will be health marked,
• Carcases suffering from a Notifiable Disease,
• Meat declared unfit