BSE--consequences for slaughtering,cutting and employer's protection

The conventional slaughtering of cattle includes some critical process stages where a carry over of BSE-risk material (brain, spinal cord) on the meat can occur. These processes are captive bolt stunning, cut off the head and first of all sawing the spine lengthways. Alternative stunning methods like electrical stunning or concussion stunning are under investigation, nevertheless they are in the moment no useful alternatives for most of the slaughter houses. The most promising methods available at present for minimising the risk appear to be in manual cattle slaughtering boning the entire carcass, either still warm or refrigerated and in industrial beef cattle slaughtering extraction of the spinal cord by vacuum from the whole carcass followed by conventional sawing or completely sawing out the spine including spinal ganglia. Working processes, including the cutting or exposure of risk material, are a risk for the employer's too. Special protective measures must be taken.