Slaughter Process Flashcards
What are the main food animals in the UK?
Cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbit, deer, poultry, game birds
What regulation makes it an offence to submit an animal for slaughter with excess residues of antibiotics?
The animal, meat and meat products regulations 1997
Why is the use of antibiotics now closely monitored?
Reports of multi resistant strains of salmonella
Allergic reactions in vets and pharmaceutical workers
What are the by products of animal production?
Edible offal
Leather
Fats
Blood
Wool
Bile + genitals (pharmaceuticals)
Bones
What is meant by an intensive meat production system
Calves enter at 10-13 weeks
Kept indoors until slaughter at 10-12 months
Fed freely on grains with protein, mineral and vitamin supplements
Produces barley beef but has a tendency to cause abscessed livers
At what age are dairy cows sent to slaughter?
5-6 years
What is the difference between veal and Bobby veal?
Bobby veal calf slaughtered with in few days ( poor meat quality )
Veal calf slaughtered at 4 months
What age are lamb slaughtered?
Approximately 4 months
What issues are pigs prone to?
Pneumonia
Arthritis
What is the problem with fevered animals in relation to antibiotics?
They excrete the antibiotics at a slower rate
What does the demand for leaner beef in the UK mean?
Cattle are slaughtered quite young, generally less than 30 months of age.
What is the most important feature when breeding pigs?
Length of pig
(Improved through cross-breeding
Which pigs are slaughtered for meat?
Females and castrated males.
Uncastrated males can have taint which leads to unpleasant smell and taste.
What are the two main aims of slaughtering.
To kill the animal as quickly as possible to reduce unnecessary suffering
To bleed the animal as completely as possible
What are the three kinds of stunning?
Captive bolt
Concussion stunner
Head only electrical stunning
What are the signs of a successful captive bolt stun?
A well defined tonic phase followed by relaxation after 20 seconds.
No rythmic breathing
A fixed eye position
What are the signs of a successful electrical stun?
An electroplectic fit
Absence of regular breathing
What is the slaughter process for red meat animals?
Transport
Lairaging
Ante-mortem inspection
Stunning
Sticking
Bleeding
Dressing
Post-mortem inspection
Refrigeration
Cutting
Dispatch
What are the benefits of providing water during lairaging.
It flushes the animals out
Reduces risk or contamination of carcases
Improves electrical stunning
Aids removal of hide
Why is it better that animals are well rested prior to slaughter?
Bleed better
Lower PH
Fatigued animals show movement of gut bacteria into tissues
What is the aim of the ante-mortem inspection?
To detect diseased or distressed animals
What does the clean livestock policy within the HACCP plan mean?
All animals should be clean before slaughter
What are the 3 options for animals that are too dirty prior to slaughter?
Prohibit slaughter
Request detention in lairage
Request slaughterhouse to clean the animal for re-inspection
What is back sticking?
When blood gets between the pluera and chest wall or pluera and lungs
