Red meat species slaughter 1

Question 1

Why do vets get involved in red meat slaughter

Answer 1

1. Public health concern - a lot of humans eat meat- zoonotic disease, ringworm, anthrax, listeria
2. Animal health - individual and farm as a whole
3. Animal welfare - needs to be monitored throughout whole abattoir: lairage, stunning, slaughter, transport, on farm/ market

Question 2

How long without food and water and in lairage

How long in lairage and why

Answer 2

1. Food must be given if in for 12 hrs
2. water ALWAYS
3. Lairage no longer than 48 hrs. For disease control purposed

Question 3

finish the sentence to do with Drug usage and controls:

it is an offence to….

Answer 3

offence to give any veterinary medicine to an animals unless those medicines have a marketing authorisation for their use in the UK.

Question 4

Drug usage and controls finish the sentence…

According to the veterinary medicines regulations 2013

Answer 4

 veterinarian must keep records of their use.
 vet can give other products under a ‘prescribing cascade’ when no medicines available – MUST specify appropriate withdrawal period

Question 5

What are the 3 levels with regards to drug usage and control

Answer 5

• Level 1 - use of a UK-authorised veterinary medicine indicated for the same species but for another condition or indicated for use in another species
• Level 2 - use of a UK-authorised human medicine or veterinary medicine authorised in the EU but not the UK. This requires a Special Import Certificate
• Level 3 - specially prepared medicine made by a veterinary surgeon, pharmacist or suitably authorised manufacturer

Question 6

What must the vet do when giving medicine

Answer 6

Specify the withdrawal period

Question 7

What deos MRL stand for

Answer 7

The MRL (maximum residue level) is the maximum concentration of residue accepted by the European Union (EU) in a food product.

Question 8

What is the withdrawal period

what is it based on?

Answer 8

The withdrawal period between giving the animal its last dose and it, or its food products, being allowed into the food chain.
It is based on how the drug is metabolised, drug dosage and how long it would take for animal to clear it from body based on metabolism

Question 9

What do we have to consider when working out Maximum residue level

Answer 9

o Amount eaten per day
o Metabolism
o Tissue distribution.
o determine the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)

Question 10

What are hazards with regards to contamination in the abattoir?

Answer 10

1. handlers during processing
2. machinery during processing
3. storage
4. Final use

Question 11

What to do if in antemortem inspection suspect notifiable disease

Answer 11

o Stop slaughter
o Notify APHA
o With APHA, come up with a protocol

Question 12

Emergency slaughter

Answer 12

• Sometimes animals get injured and need to be killed on site.
• A vet needs to be present at slaughter (for ante-mortem) to sign paperwork for reason killed and time.
  o For welfare
  o Refrigerated carcass for 2 hours before abattoir
• Animal is unfit for transport e.g. no issues that would render the meat for human consumption but shouldn’t be transported due to welfare

Question 13

Lairage protocols

Answer 13

• Assess it- how moves, water, space to stand, feed after 12 hrs, protection from adverse weather, moving least stressful
• Protection against adverse weather conditions
• Water all times and feed (>12 hrs)
• Fit for transport? Suitability to be moved?
• Hazards?
• Cleanliness of lairage (don’t want to contaminate skin  will pass to carcass

Question 14

Requirements of animal before slaughter

Answer 14

Documentation - Traceability met and Food Chain Information (FCI)
- Adequacy of transport: trailer design, ventilation, antislip floor
Fit for transport? - it is an offence to weflare if transported when 90%term or fracture
• Ante-mortem inspection by the OV (Official veterinarian)

Question 15

Animal shackling of pig and cattle

Answer 15

Shackling done before sticking due to clonic contractions the animal will start kicking = slaughterman can’t stick efficiently
- if you delay shackling you’re less liekly to kill appropriately

Question 16

Why is bleeding done

Answer 16

• needs to be done to improve meat quality and reduce bacterial colonisation of blood
• To reduce growth media – if have blood on it, it will allow bacteria to have good growth media could have huge public health impact

Question 17

which stage of dressing during slaughter results in the highest level of carcass microbial contamination?

Answer 17

1. Hide removal
2. ensure hide outrolls so bacteria on surface not touching meat
3. first cut = neck, then sterna X then linea alba

Question 18

What is evisceration

Answer 18

To avoid contamination of the carcass through accidental cuts or punctures of the stomach and intestines
Close anus: termed bagging
Clip oesophagus: avoid spillages
Basically removing all insides including contents of chest cavity, and abdominal cavity

Question 19

Special tehniques in evisceration

Answer 19

. tying/ clip oesophagus, close anus (bagging)

Question 20

Splitting of carcass procedure

Answer 20

• cut must be paracentral – don’t want to cut through spinal cord as can contaminate it. NOT through dura mater
• Take spinal chord out as a whole
• Spinal chord is a specified risk material

Question 21

Zoonotic food borne disease comes from which 3 things adn e.g

Answer 21

Animal products e.g. listeria OR Environmental contamination (anthrax) OR direct contact (ringerz)