Transport, Antemortem Inspection and Slaughter

Question 1

FMIA

Answer 1

Federal Meat Inspection Act

Question 2

FMIA requires…

Answer 2

inspection of all meat sold from livestock
(cattle, sheep, swine, goats, equids)
Foods must be: sanitary, free of pathogens, not adulterated, properly labeled

Question 3

federal inspection=

Answer 3

interstate or export

Question 4

state inspection=

Answer 4

intrastate ONLY

Question 5

foreign imports into the US

Answer 5

must have standard equivalent to US law or demonstrating equivalent risk
USDA can visit importing country and review inspection procedures

Question 6

FMIA exceptions:

Answer 6

Slaughter of your own animals for consumption by self, family, guests – NOT for $$!
Retail dealers / stores that do not slaughter, with >75% of sales to retail customers
Individual who purchases meat or meat products outside the United States for his/her own consumption – not to exceed fifty pounds

Question 7

meat from other species

Answer 7

do not fall under FMIA rules

poultry covered by PPIA

Question 8

PPIA

Answer 8

poultry products inspection agency

Question 9

stress associated with transport

Answer 9

Expensive! Loss of meat quality, injuries to
animals, animals may be condemned
Weight loss ..shrink
Pigs are very vulnerable to suffocation
Bruising –especially sheep and pigs
Immune stress / microbial shedding

Question 10

2 effects of stress on meat

Answer 10

Dark Firm Dry (DFD)
– PRE‐MORTEM depletion of muscle glycogen
2. Pale Soft Exudative (PSE)
– POSTMORTEM depletion of muscle glycogen

Question 11

normal post slaughter changes

Answer 11

Well fed un‐stressed animals should have a lot of glycogen in muscle before slaughter
After slaughter metabolism continues in muscle cells
Glycogen is converted to lactic acid which lowers the pH of muscle and tenderizes the meat

Question 12

DFD

Answer 12

Dark Firm Dry
Chronic Stress prior to slaughter + adrenaline= pre‐mortem glycogen depletion in muscles
reduction in lactic acid causes high pH

Question 13

reducing DFD

Answer 13

Ensure adequate muscle glycogen
Reduce glycogen consumption (reduce stress)
Manage implants (cattle)

Question 14

PSE

Answer 14

Pale Soft Exudative
High stress pre‐slaughter (acute)
Rapid postmortem intracellular glycolysis causes accumulation of lactic acid
condemned at inspection

Question 15

PSS

Answer 15

porcine stress syndrome

Question 16

True/False: there is heritable susceptibility to PSE

Answer 16

True: Recessive gene = malignant hyperthermia response to stress; affects survival and meat

Question 17

antemortem inspection of livestock

Answer 17

Inspection of individual live animals prior to slaughter
Helps keep ill animals out of food chain
Helps reduce contamination of abattoir

Question 18

inspection pricedure

Answer 18

Observe animals at rest
Observe animals in motion from one or both sides (varies by plant / supervisor)
Determine if animal is normal or abnormal
Suspect & condemned tagged as such!

Question 19

Public Health Veterinarian

Answer 19

Makes a DISPOSITION at inspection

Question 20

“subject”

Answer 20

Cow is bought by Slaughter Plant is “subject” to passing inspection at slaughter

Question 21

“suspect”

Answer 21

Public Health Vet’s disposition at antemortem inspection is “suspect”

• history of recent illness
• signs indicative of localized disease condition

Question 22

condemmed

Answer 22

signs indicative of generalized disease condition

Question 23

conditions resulting in condemnation

Answer 23

• 4 D’s (dead, dying, diseased, disabled)
• systemic infection
• systemic metabolic conditions
• when you can hold animal for possible recovery

Question 24

downer cattle

Answer 24

FSIS prohibits the slaughter of cattle that are not able to stand or walk
have a high probability of being infected with BSE

Question 25

regulatory diseases

Answer 25

M. bovis

Brucellosis

Question 26

reportable diseases

Answer 26

Meat inspection provides an additional opportunity for surveillance of animal diseases
Reportable / notifiable diseases must, by law, be reported when detected at slaughter

Question 27

slaughter is a 2 step process

Answer 27

stunning

exsanguination

Question 28

humane slaughter

Answer 28

Livestock must be rendered insensible to pain before being shackled, hoisted, or cut

Question 29

exception to humane slaughter

Answer 29

ritual slaughter (kosher, halal) 
-only for the stun before sticking part of the law

Question 30

Kosher and Halal

Answer 30

Under Jewish and Islamic law, animals for slaughter must be healthy and uninjured at the time of death, which rules out driving a bolt into the brain

Question 31

4 approved methods of stunnin

Answer 31

carbon dioxide
electricity
captive bolt
firearms

Question 32

electricity

Answer 32

Cattle (rare), calves, sheep, goats, swine
Electrical current through brain sufficient to generate an epileptic seizure/stun animal
Excessive amperage may cause petechial
hemorrhages

Question 33

carbon dioxide

Answer 33

Swine, sheep, and calves
Must be sufficient to induce proper surgical anesthesia with minimum excitement
Can be used for depopulation of pigs and
chickens

Question 34

captive bolt

Answer 34

Cattle, sheep, goats, swine
penetrating and non penetrating
proper restraint and placement

Question 35

gunshot

Answer 35

Cattle, calves, sheep, goats, swine
head and brain not suitable for food
aim correctly

Question 36

effective captive bolt

Answer 36

animal immediately collapses 
rigid with extended followed by involuntary kicking 
eyes central and fixed 
no corneal reflex
no rhythmic breathing 
heart beat continues for some time

Question 37

after stunning

Answer 37

rapidly moved to sticking

exsanguination typically used for killing

Question 38

true/false: FSIS inspectors do have the right to immediately halt all slaughter at a plant in cases of “egregious” violations

Answer 38

TRUE

Question 39

shackling

Answer 39

hang animal before sticking

increases volume of blood loss

Question 40

sticking

Answer 40

cut all veins in neck
brain death in 15-20 seconds
50% of total blood volume loss

Question 41

chest sticking (pigs)

Answer 41

cut vessels where they arise from the heart

may be faster than throat cutting

Question 42

what is the most common source of meat contamination

Answer 42

dressing: soil on hide, rumen contents, feces, etc

Question 43

dressing carcass

Answer 43

skinned/dehided/ dehaired 
head removed
eviscerated
shrouded (cattle only) 
chilled

Question 44

cattle dressing

Answer 44

skinning is mechanical 
head removal 
evisceration
carcass is washed out with high pressure water 
shrouded (removed after 24hr chill)

Question 45

swine dressing

Answer 45

carcass is washed
dehairing (hide left on/ hair removed)
head separation, evisceration, and cooling follow (generally by hand)