Red meat inspection

What are the basic techniques that the PMI is based on?

• Visual

• Palpation

• Incision

• Smell

In what cases are carcasses split before PMI?

• Domestic solipeds (horses / donkeys etc) & bovines > 8 months

• Swine > 5 weeks

• Not lambs, but sheep > 12 months (removal or spinal cord/SRM)

In what cases is just visual inspection carried out by default?

• Pigs and bovines <8 months

What is the priority scale of how the actions will differ based on OV findings of diseases

• Zoonotic if ingested

• Zoonotic risk but not by consumption

• Systemic processes

• No zoonotic risk

  • Animal disease spread

  • Meat quality

  • Aesthetics

At what age is beef head inspection carried out? What does it involve?

• >8 months

• Visual inspection

• Incision and examination of retropharyngeal LN, external masseters, 2 parallel invision to mandible and internal masseters

• When there is risk to human health, animal health or welfare: submaxillary & parotid LNs incised & examined, palpate the tongue and fauces

At what age is offal inspection carried out?

>8 months

What are the different components of the offal inspection?

Visual of all of these

• Trachea, oesophagus and lungs - bronchial and mediastinal LN incision

• Pericardium and heart- incision lengthways

• Liver, hepatic and pancreatic LNs- palpation of hepatic and pancreatic LNs

• GI tract, mesentery, gastric and mesenteric LNs- incision and palpation of gastric and mesenteric LNs

• Spleen - +palpation

• Kidneys- incision and incision of renal LNs

• Pleura and peritoneum

What should you be looking for at the point of carcass inspection?

• Overall state (swelling, bruising, contamination, oedema)

• Abnormal colour

• Adhesions

• Lymph nodes if needed

What are the three general stages of beef inspection?

• Head inspection

• Offal inspection

• Carcass inspection

What weight of sample needs to be taken for trichinella spiralis?

1g for pig

5g for horse and wild boar

(Because of infective dose)

Where is the trichinella surveillance sample taken from?

Diaphragm

When is a trichinella diaphragm sample required?

• Breeding domestic swine (sows and boars)

• Wild boar (any age, whether wild or farmed)

• Solipeds (any age)

• All pigs that have not been reared in premises officially considered to apply controlled housing conditions (e.g. free range and organic pigs)

What is the alternative to trichinella testing?

• Freezing-only for domestic (not often used)

• Cooking inactivates it at >70°C

What are the different categorisations of erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae that will change the outcome?

• Mild type: Diamonds visible on skin. Possible bacteraemia.

  • Judgement: depending on lesions

• Acute or septicaemic.

  • Judgement: total rejection

• Chronic: Arthritis, endocarditis, enlarged LNs

  • Judgement: local or total rejection depending on severity and extension of the lesions.

What can tail bites lead to at PMI?

• Whole carcass might be moved as a Cat 2 ABP because of the osteomyelitis

All pathology found at PMI causes the classification of ABP to be Cat 2 except for 4 exceptions which can be classed as category 3 (lower risk) what are these 4 exceptions?

• Liver fluke

  

• Melanosis

  

• Milk spots

  

• Muelleris capillaris