Day 111 - 30 Mar 95 - Page 33


     
     1        there is a vet -- wait a second, I have to think.
     2        Immediately after the gut removal, there is a man with a
     3        hosepipe next to the line who -- this was another great
     4        concern which was discussed with MAFF as well at various
     5        times -- washed the front part of the carcass, basically,
     6        the front feet, the neck, and part of the thoracic cavity
     7        with high pressure water.  This was obviously -----
     8
     9   Q.   This was before the inspection?
    10        A.  This was before inspection.  This was obviously a great
    11        concern for us because, according to Fresh Meat Hygiene
    12        Regulations, Inspection and Hygiene Regulations, if you
    13        look at the schedule -- I cannot remember the schedule now;
    14        I think it is Schedule 9 -- it says that, I cannot remember
    15        the exact wording of the text, but basically you are not
    16        supposed to handle the carcass in any way which might
    17        hinder an efficient inspection, or might mask signs of
    18        contamination or disease in the carcass.
    19
    20        Basically, in my professional opinion, washing off
    21        contamination of the carcass, or any parts of the carcass
    22        at this stage is exactly against this Regulation.
    23
    24        Additionally, it does concern me in my professional opinion
    25        as well, because this area of cattle, you often find
    26        abscesses in this area of cattle due to the material that
    27        the cows have eaten.  If the man with the hosepipe, he is
    28        not a meat inspector, he is an abattoir attendant, who
    29        works at various positions so it is not necessarily even
    30        the same man always.  If he misses an abscess that has,
    31        perhaps, been split already during that, or even if it has
    32        not been split, misses an abscess at this point, he might
    33        either burst it with the water or he might spread the pus
    34        from the abscess already opened by the knife in a larger
    35        area of the carcass, and it would be impossible for the
    36        inspector after this to know which part of the carcass the
    37        pus has actually spread to.
    38
    39        We would be faced either to condemning the whole carcass
    40        or, perhaps, the inspector might even miss the fact that
    41        there has been an abscess, that there has been pus
    42        contamination from the abscess.  It is generally accepted
    43        that washing should not occur on the slaughter line before
    44        meat inspection.
    45
    46   Q.   Do you have any views about the effect of washing in
    47        general and spraying?
    48        A.  Well, this is something I will come to as I discuss the
    49        chilled carcasses.  Generally, it is recommended by both
    50        the scientists and people who work with meat hygiene that 
    51        carcasses should not be washed at all.  I personally do 
    52        think that, as far as public health is concerned, it is a 
    53        good practice to wash the inside of the split carcass after
    54        the carcasser has split the carcass because you are dealing
    55        with a lot of sawdust, bone dust basically from the
    56        splitting of the carcass and it is advisable to get rid of
    57        that sawdust because it is a good growing ground for
    58        bacteria and it might also have public health implications
    59        if people ended up eating a lot of sawdust.
    60

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