Meat inspection in the Australian red-meat industries: past, present and future

Postmortem inspection of carcases and offal has been a cornerstone of consumer protection in the red-meat industry for over a century. In 2011, there began strong moves to reform the traditional process of meat inspection applied to cattle, sheep and goats in Australia. A major motivation was the widespread acceptance that organoleptic inspection does little to control the most important hazards in meat products - microbial pathogens derived from gut flora. The watershed reforms in international trade provided another incentive by encouraging the application of a risk-based approach to food safety, which allows for the discontinuation of processes that do not enhance public health outcomes. As well, there was a strong imperative to ensure that resources allocated to quality assurance delivered maximum economic benefit for both consumers and processors. This review discusses how the role of meat inspection is likely to evolve into the future under the influence of these forces. It summarises how the current system was derived through repeated modification over time, mainly to satisfy the requirements of trading partners. Major developments are summarised, focusing especially on how the inclusion of particular organoleptic techniques was initially justified and the relevance of these to modern meat production. Overall, analysis of past and present practices suggests that in the future both public health and efficiency will be better served by strategically integrating the most effective elements of traditional organoleptic inspection with information from the preslaughter period and the use of modern technology for rapid and accurate detection of hazards.     

Food animal surveillance: search for a safe system?]

In Europe, meat inspection procedures have been established in the course of the last century. Techniques at that time available were used. This traditional approach has been taken over with the regularisation in the EEC. However, in order to scrutinise this approach as well as to specify modern tasks of meat inspection, a scientific and more basic approach is required and could read as follows: Pointing out the tasks of meat inspection as wanted by the specific society (human health, animal health and welfare as well as a certain quality level of the product). Collecting of particular criteria in order to ensure every task mentioned above. This could be addressed by use of a system based on the principles of Risk Analysis (identification and characterisation of a hazard (or unwanted item), consumer's exposure assessment). Having deduced the required criteria, for each of them an appropriate method must be available. Only then an overall system might be suggested, and only then particular techniques might be discussed. From examples is concluded, that the technical performance of meat inspection must be re-evaluated. Presently a total concept is not available.     

Meat inspection in New Zealand: prospects for change

Regulatory authorities are facing increasing challenges with respect to the newly-recognised public health risks associated with meat products. Meat inspection resources should be allocated according to their maximum ability to reduce food-borne hazards, rather than according to the classical rules of meat inspection. Scientific evaluation of routine post-mortem inspection procedures for each class of livestock, introduction of the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point approach to process control, on-line testing for microbiological hazards and residues, and effective management of production, processing and inspection data are central to this process. The meat inspection system that has evolved in New Zealand reflects a response to non-scientific forces such as market requirements and industrial practices rather than scientific discipline. In the future, the daily routine of meat inspectors will be extended well beyond their current slaughterfloor responsibilities, and veterinarians will require specialist skills. Science should be the basis for international food regulation and policy concepts such as equivalence or mutual acceptance are achievable on this basis.     

Impact of ovine meat inspection systems on processing and production costs

The efficiency and cost-effectiveness of government-regulated meat inspection systems are under review in a number of countries. A post mortem organoleptic meat inspection programme is the most costly component of an inspection system and the procedures applied to a particular class of livestock should be appropriate to the spectrum and prevalence of diseases and defects present in each geographical region. Awareness of the impact of specific inspection requirements on processing costs, the application of integrated quality management principles and the development of programmes that disseminate information on diseases and defects and reward the producer of high-quality carcases, are all features of an efficient and cost-effective inspection system.     

Parasites in meat: a challenge for veterinarians in meat hygiene

Meat hygiene is an important instrument of preventive public health since the end of the nineteenth century. The methods used during ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection are partly quite traditional. This is in particular true for the identification of parasites in meat. The aim of this review was to present facts on aetiology, prevalence and importance of meat-borne parasitic hazards. The capacity and the limits of the ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection for the identification of parasitic hazards are considered. Further, suggestions for the improvement of the meat hygiene are given. Cysticercosis, Toxoplasmosis and Sarcocystosis are exposed in detail. With regard to Cysticercosis, the integration of serological methods in the inspection procedure could result in a tenfold improvement of diagnostical sensitivity. With regard to Toxoplasmosis, it is obvious that meat containing Toxoplasma-cysts may reach the consumer, as animals infected with Toxoplasma gondii can neither be recognised in the ante-mortem inspection nor in the meat inspection. Systematical serological investigations on farm level would allow an appropriate judgement during meat inspection and minimize the consumer exposure to this parasite. Further, reliable methods for the detection of Toxoplasma-cysts have to be developed. With regard to Sarcocystosis, the compulsory inspection of the muscle surfaces to recognise a "massive infection with Sarcocystis" is very doubtful in its interpretation. There is a need for suitable microscopic, serological and molecular biological methods for the detection of Sarcocystis-species and reliable informations on the seroprevalence of the parasite in slaughtering animals.     

Risk based meat hygiene--examples on food chain information and visual meat inspection

The Regulation (EC) No. 854/2004 refers in particularly to a broad spectrum of official supervision of products of animal origin. The supervision should be based on the most current relevant information which is available. The proposal presented includes forms for implementation of Food Chain Information (FCI) as laid down in the Regulation (EC) No. 853/2004 as well as suggestions for the implementation of the visual inspection and criteria for a practical approach to assist the competent authority and the business operator. These suggestions are summarised in two forms including the FCI and practical information from the farm of origin as well as from the slaughterhouse needed for the competent authority to permit the visual meat inspection of fattening pigs. The requested information from the farm level include i.e. an animal loss rate during the fattening period and diagnostic findings of carcasses and respectively on organs of the animals during meat inspection procedure. The evaluation of findings in liver and pleura at the slaughterhouse level indicate a correlation to the general health status of the fattening conditions at farm level. The criteria developed are in principle suited for a "gold standard" of the health status of fattening pigs and the criteria may serve as practical implementation of the term Good Farming Practice in relation to consumer protection. Only for fattening pigs deriving from farms fulfilling this "gold standard" the visual meat inspection shall be permitted. It is proposed to integrate the two forms for FCI and additional information for authorisation of visual meat inspection for fattening pigs in the working document of the DG SANCO titled "Commission regulation of laying down specific rules on official controls for the inspection of meat" (SANCO/2696/2006).     

Meat inspection education in Finnish veterinary curriculum

This article describes the Finnish meat-inspection curriculum and presents an expert-panel evaluation of meat-inspection education. The work tasks of the meat-inspection veterinarian are challenging and include classical meat inspection, meat hygiene, hygiene control, and animal disease and welfare. The meat-inspection veterinarian is not only an inspector, which by itself is very demanding, but also an expert or "consultant" on food safety. The significant role of the meat-inspection veterinarian in society puts high demands on meat-inspection education, which should provide veterinary students with sufficient tools to perform meat inspection and hygiene control in slaughterhouses, cutting premises, and further processing plants. To be of high quality, such education must be evaluated from time to time. An expert panel evaluated Finnish undergraduate meat-inspection education and found that it provides veterinary students with good knowledge of meat inspection. The structure of the curriculum, with theoretical studies followed by four weeks of practice in a slaughterhouse, was considered vital for learning and for creating interest in meat inspection. The evaluation also revealed that certain subjects should receive greater emphasis and some new subjects should be introduced. Hygiene-control tasks, in particular, have increased and should receive more emphasis in education. Personnel management and interaction skills should be introduced into the curriculum as these skills influence all the duties of the meat-inspection veterinarian. This article outlines the subjects to be included in the modern, high-quality meat-inspection curriculum recommended by the expert panel.     

Taenia saginata in Europe

In spite of the EU directives that regulate meat inspection for bovine cysticercosis, Taenia saginata is still present in Europe and causes economic losses due to condemnation, refrigeration and downgrading of infected carcasses. The main reasons for this persistence include the low sensitivity of current meat inspection protocols, the dissemination and survival of eggs in the environment and cattle husbandry systems, which allow grazing on pastures and drinking from water streams. It is assumed that water streams and surface water are potentially contaminated with T. saginata eggs. Furthermore, current wastewater management not only fails to halt, but rather contributes to the dissemination of eggs in the environment. Here, the authors discuss an integrated approach for control of this food-borne zoonosis, as well as the potential use of serological methods as a way of improving detection of bovine cysticercosis.     

The future role of the veterinarian in the control of zoonoses

Developments in the rearing and the health status of meat animals is presented. Attention is drawn to the increase in latent infections, most of which are zoonotic diseases. Such infections escape official ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection as it is presently conducted in industrialised countries, which still rely on the classical rules established by Robert von Ostertag. This examination is thus in need of reform. Proposals submitted to the EEC Commission consist of a stepwise inclusion of the major herds of meat animals in systematic health control aimed at effective control of zoonoses and thus improved consumer protection. It is thus expected that the importance of meat inspection on the basis of pathological-anatomical changes will decrease the importance of establishing the health status during the animal's lifetime will increase. Nevertheless, there will be no complete substitution of classical meat inspection because there are numerous changes in the meat specific to the individual animal which can be detected only by meat inspection, and must be detected if the concept of consumer protection is properly applied. The reform of meat inspection which has become necessary will entail a variety of new tasks for research.     

The future role of the veterinarian in the control of zoonoses

Summary

Developments in the rearing and the health status of meat animals is presented. Attention is drawn to the increase in latent infections, most of which are zoonotic diseases. Such infections escape official ante‐mortem and post‐mortem inspection as it is presently conducted in industrialised countries, which still rely on the classical rules established by Robert von Ostertag. This examination is thus in need of reform.

Proposals submitted to the EEC Commission consist of a stepwise inclusion of the major herds of meat animals in systematic health control aimed at effective control of zoonoses and thus improved consumer protection. It is thus expected that the importance of meat inspection on the basis of pathological‐anatomical changes will decrease the importance of establishing the health status during the animal's lifetime will increase.

Nevertheless, there will be no complete substitution of classical meat inspection because there are numerous changes in the meat specific to the individual animal which can be detected only by meat inspection, and must be detected if the concept of consumer protection is properly applied. The reform of meat inspection which has become necessary will entail a variety of new tasks for research.     

Procedures in abattoirs and meat inspection. State of the discussion on the implementation of alternative systems

Results of field studies which were performed in EU member states and which dealt with meat inspection procedures in fattening pigs were reviewed with respect to their contribution to alternative systems of meat inspection. The following was concluded: Inspection ante mortem (monitoring of circumstances at the farm of origin): Data which should be given to the notice of the authorities have not yet been satisfactorily defined and their informative value still is not yet clear The predictive character of information from the farm of origin regarding the health status of the animals (results of meat inspection) is not yet sound enough The technique of ante mortem inspection should be reconsidered also. Meat inspection (monitoring and assessment of lesions): In all studies the compared techniques (visual and official procedure) did not entirely find all lesions, which were supposed to be on the carcasses and organs. This was true in different percentages. The impact on consumer's health from the lesions monitored has to be discussed more thoroughly. The information presently available is not yet sound enough to generate a new practicable system of meat inspection. Further pilot studies are necessary.     

Good animal welfare makes economic sense: potential of pig abattoir meat inspection as a welfare surveillance tool

ABSTRACT: During abattoir meat inspection pig carcasses are partially or fully condemned upon detection of disease that poses a risk to public health or welfare conditions that cause animal suffering e.g. fractures. This incurs direct financial losses to producers and processors. Other health and welfare-related conditions may not result in condemnation but can necessitate 'trimming' of the carcass e.g. bruising, and result in financial losses to the processor. Since animal health is a component of animal welfare these represent a clear link between suboptimal pig welfare and financial losses to the pig industry.Meat inspection data can be used to inform herd health programmes, thereby reducing the risk of injury and disease and improving production efficiency. Furthermore, meat inspection has the potential to contribute to surveillance of animal welfare. Such data could contribute to reduced losses to producers and processors through lower rates of carcass condemnations, trimming and downgrading in conjunction with higher pig welfare standards on farm. Currently meat inspection data are under-utilised in the EU, even as a means of informing herd health programmes. This includes the island of Ireland but particularly the Republic.This review describes the current situation with regard to meat inspection regulation, method, data capture and utilisation across the EU, with special reference to the island of Ireland. It also describes the financial losses arising from poor animal welfare (and health) on farms. This review seeks to contribute to efforts to evaluate the role of meat inspection as a surveillance tool for animal welfare on-farm, using pigs as a case example.     

Motivation and Characterization of Finnish Meat Inspection Veterinarians

A questionnaire survey on the factors affecting the motivation and work attitudes of Finnish veterinary meat inspectors was conducted. Traditional meat inspection on the slaughtering line and in the emergency department took up most of the weekly work time (15.8% and 15.8%, respectively). Emergency slaughtering (29%) and general hygiene control (29%) were considered the most important tasks of veterinary meat inspectors. Assurance of meat safety (68%) was cited as the most important single reason for meat inspection. Veterinary meat inspectors were of the opinion that they do not play an important role in the training of slaughterhouse personnel, although they considered training to be a very important means for promoting hygienic work methods among workers. Three orientations of the respondents toward meat inspection and slaughterhouse operations were revealed from the survey: hygiene, education, and emergency slaughter work orientation. Meat inspection veterinarians may feel isolated from the other personnel responsible for maintaining quality and hygiene. The orientation and possible isolated position of veterinary meat inspectors should be given more attention in both the basic undergraduate and postgraduate training of veterinary meat inspectors.     

Straussenhaltung in Deutschland / Straussenfleisch aus Namibia--ein Fallbeispiel. [Ostrich husbandry in Germany / ostrich meat from Namibia - a case study]

Within the European Union, academic professions themselves are expected to reach a comparable level of professionalism, a fact that veterinary medicine as well should not ignore. At present, a working group is developing a concept of a teaching module for the Socrates programme "Education in Veterinary Public Health (VPH)", enabling the students by "case studies" to be induced to an integrated approach of tackling problems. In an attempt to demonstrate the didactic procedure, a study of ostrich meat as food for human consumption is presented as a concrete example. In the detailed teacher's guide, informations are given about ostrich husbandry, slaughter procedure and meat inspection, as well as detailed explanations how the health of human consumer can be safeguarded by the introduction of the HACCP system.     

Proposals for designing the food chain information for the implementation of the risk-oriented ante- and post-mortem meat inspection

The recent crises in the meat industry due to meat-associated risks such as salmonella, nitrofen and dioxin prove that the traditional ante- and post mortem inspection of slaughter animals and carcasses is not any longer able to recognise and prevent the risks of today. Therefore, the EU Commission has issued Reg. (EC) 853/2004 and Reg. (EC) 854/2004 that regulate the transition of the traditional meat inspection, which demands inspecting each individual carcass in the same way, to a risk-based meat inspection, which is using relevant pieces of information about the previous production stages for making risk-based decisions on the intensity of the inspection of slaughter pig batches. The new EU legislation is not any longer prescribing exactly the inspection procedure, but defines the food safety goals. The consequence is that there are still various ideas and opinions on how to implement a reasonable risk-based meat inspection, and, in particular, on how to design the "relevant food chain information". The present paper is describing the legal framework and the objectives of the risk-based meat inspection, and proposals for designing the food chain information for the implementation of the risk-based ante- and post-mortem meat inspection are made and discussed.     

A Case–Control Study of Risk Factors for Bovine Cysticercosis in Danish Cattle Herds

Bovine cysticercosis (BC) is a zoonotic, parasitic infection in cattle. Under the current EU meat inspection regulation, every single carcass from all bovines above 6 weeks of age is examined for BC. This method is costly and makes more sense in countries with higher number of BC‐infected animals than in countries with few lightly infected cases per year. The aim of the present case–control study was to quantify associations between potential herd‐level risk factors and BC in Danish cattle herds. Risk factors can be used in the design of a risk‐based meat inspection system targeted towards the animals with the highest risk of BC. Cases (n = 77) included herds that hosted at least one animal diagnosed with BC at meat inspection, from 2006 to 2010. Control herds (n = 231) consisted of randomly selected herds that had not hosted any animals diagnosed with BC between 2004 and 2010. The answers from a questionnaire and register data from the Danish Cattle Database were grouped into meaningful variables and used to investigate the risk factors for BC using a multivariable logistic regression model. Case herds were almost three times more likely than control herds to let all or most animals out grazing. Case herds were more than five times more likely than control herds to allow their animals access to risky water sources with sewage treatment plant effluent in proximity. Case herds were also more likely to share machinery or hire contractors than control herds. The risk decreased with increasing herd size probably because the larger herds generally tend to keep cattle indoors in Denmark. The results are useful to guide future data recording that can be supplied by the farmer as food chain information and then be used for differentiated meat inspection in low‐ and high‐risk groups, enabling development of risk‐based meat inspection systems.     

Changes in the EU legislation on Trichinella inspection--new challenges in the epidemiology

The European Union (EU) countries are searching for new ways to certify meat free of Trichinella; however, with the expansion of the EU, the acceptance of a unilateral method is complicated by the variability of pig and human trichinellosis among EU countries, where significantly higher prevalence rates have been observed in the newly added eastern countries. Several attempts have been made to define Trichinella-free areas, but certification of Trichinella-free pig production farms appears to be the only feasible approach. The increasing prevalence of the non-encapsulating species, Trichinella pseudospiralis, in game, domestic pigs and humans has eliminated the compression technique from the new EU legislation to be enacted in 2006. Also, the observation that several species of Trichinella tolerate freezing in horse meat for up to 4 weeks has forced a change in legislation as well where freezing is no longer an option for certifying horse meat. Because current serological detection methods are not suited for meat inspection, classical direct detection methods and inactivation by freezing remain the methods of choice for pork. It has been proposed, therefore, to automate direct inspection methods as a cost effective alternative to certify pig farms free of Trichinella.     

Bovine tuberculosis: prevalence and diagnostic efficacy of routine meat inspection procedure in Woldiya municipality abattoir north Wollo zone, Ethiopia

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a widespread and endemic disease of cattle in Ethiopia posing a significant threat to public health. Regular surveillance by skin test, bacteriology, and molecular methods is not feasible due to lack of resources. Thus, routine abattoir (RA) inspection will continue to play a key role for national surveillance. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Woldiya municipal abattoir from April 1, 2009 to April 5, 2010 to estimate the prevalence of BTB in slaughtered cattle on the basis of detailed abattoir inspection and to compare efficacy of RA inspection with respect to detailed abattoir inspection and isolation and identification of Mycobacterium. Diagnostic accuracies (with corresponding measures of statistical uncertainty) were determined by computing test property statistics (sensitivity and specificity). Agreement between RA and detailed abattoir inspections was measured using kappa statistics. Out of 1,029 slaughtered heads of cattle examined during the study period, 63 (6.12 %) and 15 (1.45 %) were diagnosed with gross tuberculous lesions by detailed abattoir meat inspections and RA meat inspections, respectively, making a prevalence of 6.12 % (95 % CI: 5.2–7.1) on the basis of detailed abattoir inspection. About 59.45 % of tuberculous lesions were observed in the lungs and associated lymph nodes, whereas 35.13 % lesions were from the lymph nodes of the head. From 63 cattle suspected with tuberculosis (TB) based on detailed abattoir meat inspection, nine (19.05 %) were identified as Mycobacterium bovis, while three (4.8 %) as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The sensitivity of RA meat inspection was 23.8 % in comparison to the detailed abattoir meat inspection and 25 % in comparison to culture, respectively. Poor agreement (k?=?0.37) was seen between RA meat examination and detailed abattoir meat examination methods. Similarly, poor agreement (k?=?0.013) was seen between RA meat examination and culture results. In conclusion, relatively higher prevalence (6.12 %) was recorded in Woldiya municipal abattoir on the basis of detailed Abattoir inspection and RA meat inspection protocols currently utilized in Ethiopia which are insufficient to detect the majority (76.19 %) of TB lesions at the gross level, which indicates the magnitude of meat borne zoonotic TB as an ongoing risk to public health. Detailed abattoir inspection protocols were demonstrated to improve the detection level by approximately fourfold. In conclusion, routine meat inspections have limitations in detecting BTB-suggestive lesions which indicate the magnitude of meat-borne zoonotic TB as an ongoing risk to public health.     

Efficiency of inspection procedures for the detection of tuberculous lesions in cattle

The sensitivity of the abattoir inspection procedure introduced for Australian export beef in 1976 was compared to a detailed necropsy procedure for the detection of tuberculous lesions in cattle. In a sample of cattle that were reactors to the tuberculin test, abattoir inspection failed to detect an estimated 47% of cattle with lesions. The detailed necropsy examination of cattle with lesions of tuberculosis identified 21 sites of infection compared with 13 to 18 in cattle examined by routine meat inspection procedures. Of the lesions detected during detailed necropsy, 15.9% did not involve the thoracic cavity or the medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes. The failure to detect lesions during abattoir inspection has its greatest significance in an animal with a single lesion. If the 245 cattle found with single lesions during detailed necropsy had been examined by abattoir inspection using the 1976 or the 1986 procedures, 0.8 and 8.9%, respectively, of these animals would not have been detected because the diseased tissues would not have been examined. If meat inspection is to provide an effective means of monitoring the level of bovine tuberculosis during the final stages of eradication, a procedure no less sensitive than that introduced in 1976 should be used.     

A pathological and microbiological evaluation of omphalophlebitis in very young calves slaughtered in New Zealand

Omphalophlebitis, generally referred to as navel ill, is a common post-mortem meat inspection finding in very young calves slaughtered in New Zealand, and a gross pathological, histopathological and bacteriological evaluation of 147 carcasses condemned for this condition at routine post-mortem meat inspection was undertaken. Localised lesions restricted to the umbilicus alone were present in 29.9% of cases. The majority of cases included gross pathological change in the umbilical vessels and other tissue sites beyond the umbilicus. Most hepatic nodes were grossly normal but histological examination revealed that 61.5% of nodes from other than localised cases of navel ill were hyperplastic. However, there was little difference in the prevalence of hyperplastic hepatic nodes from cases of localised navel ill (21.4%) compared with normal calves (15.9%). Despite the wide range of bacteria isolated from umbilical lesions, Salmonella typhimurium recovered from the navel, liver and hepatic nodes of a single extended case of navel ill was the only isolation of known public health importance. Given the separation of cases of navel ill into different gross pathological, histopathological and microbiological categories, current meat inspection judgments whereby all calves with navel ill are condemned should be revised. In particular, routine condemnation of the carcass and viscera in all cases of localised navel ill (lesions restricted to the umbilicus alone) should be reassessed.