• Good ventilation,

• Adequate straw bedding changed as

  frequently as necessary,

• Large wood chips can be considered as an

  alternative material to straw bedding,

• Appropriate stocking densities (particularly

  on slatted floors),

• Well designed feeding/drinking

  arrangements to prevent concentration of dung in these areas, and faecal contamination of feed/water. 

• Vehicles must be cleaned and disinfected between loads.

•   Vehicles should be well ventilated.

•   Animals should be dry at loading and kept dry at

  unloading.

•   Animals should be protected from adverse weather conditions during loading / unloading.

•   Correct overall stocking rates should be observed.

•   Appropriate group sizes of uniform animals should be used. 

Dirty animals put hygienic operation at risk,
 Food business operator has responsibility for

only accepting clean, dry animals for slaughter,

 OV must verify this is complied with:

◦ Has powers to stop production if hygiene is compromised

 FSA clean livestock policy set up in 1996:

◦ Following Pennington Report
◦ Classification still used by many FBOs 

• Retained in lairage on clean bedding till

  clean/dry,

• Clipped to remove contaminated wool/hair,

• Slaughtered with decreased line speed and / or last of the day,

• Killed in lairage and carcase disposed,

• Sent back to the farm of origin (only on exceptional circumstances). 

Emergency slaughter,
◦ Stress,

◦ Health status,
◦ Stunning practices,
◦ Sticking practices (blood clots).

Signs of bad bleeding:

◦ Pink/red colour of serous membrane and lymph nodes,

◦ Congestion of offal. 

•   Approx. 6-7% of animal’s live weight.

•   40-50% loss with bleeding and rest retained in the

  muscle/offal.

•   Approx. 60% of blood loss within 30 sec. from sticking.

•   Good bleeding time at least 2 min.

•   Bruising and trauma pre and post slaughter.

•   Blood splash: high blood pressure and muscle spasm.

  - PMI of blod

  - collection of blood not for human consumption

  - collection of blood for human consumption- GRAVITY, VAMPIRE KNIFE  

Cattle / sheep:
 Principal mechanism by which contamination from the

outside of an animal is transferred to the exposed muscle surfaces.

 Can occur in a number of ways:

Via knives during initial incisions through the skin.

• Via hands, arms and tools of slaughtermen during separation of the skin from the underlying musculature.

• By direct contact between contaminated fleece/hair and muscles.

• Via dust or aerosols created by the action of mechanical fleece/hide pullers.

• Aerosols from uncontrolled drainage of water onto the floor and the use of high pressure hoses in the slaughterhall. 

To minimise transfer of contamination from

hide to exposed surface of meat:

• After initial cut, all knife cuts should be from the inside out.

• Frequent wash and sterilization of knives, hands and arms between carcases.

• Prevent in-rolling of the hide/fleece.

   Clips, paper towels.

• Machinery (hide pullers) – supervised and

  maintained.

• Flaying must be complete. 

• After skinning, without undue delay and anyway it is recommended within 45 minutes from slaughter to avoid migration of bacteria from the gut to the muscles.

•   

  Gut tract removed in such a way that no ingesta, faeces or gut content escapes – i.e. in one piece with no leakage at either end.

• 
  

   

  To seal ends:
  ◦ Roding of the oesophagus, 

  ◦ Tie a knot,
  ◦ Bunging of the anus,
  ◦ Bagging of the anus 

• Carcases and offal should not contact walls, floors, work stands, etc...

•   Where contact surfaces with tools and working

  stands are unavoidable:

  ◦ Working tools should be rinsed and sterilised with water at >82°C between carcases (i.e. hock cutters and brisket saws),

  ◦ Meat protected with plastic bags or sheets of paper.

•   Care when washing bone dust from carcases to

  prevent splashing.

•   “Dirty” operatives should not enter “clean” areas ◦ Design of slaughterhouse important.