Day 081 - 31 Jan 95 - Page 15
1 A. No, this is a modern hygienic layout.
2
3 Q. Does the provision of what one might call "aids" to hygiene
4 seem to you to be adequate or not?
5 A. Yes.
6
7 Q. What are the principal stages in the slaughtering process
8 (of which we see a diagram in front of us) at which a risk
9 of contamination may occur? What are the principal stages?
10 A. There is risk of contamination at the dehiding stage,
11 contamination from the hiding where it gets on to the
12 carcass, and another risk of contamination at the gut
13 removal stage.
14
15 Q. What we are looking at here is a beef line; does that apply
16 equally to pigs and chickens?
17 A. Largely, it does. With pigs there is the additional
18 scalding tank which might be an -----
19
20 Q. How could the scalding tank present a contamination hazard?
21 A. The pigs go through a tank full of water. If that
22 water is contaminated, there is a possibility of surface
23 contamination there, although later there is a singeing
24 stage at which surface contamination should be removed.
25
26 Q. Of course, it is only the outside which is singed?
27 A. Yes.
28
29 Q. So, I suppose, in theory, you could have contamination in
30 the inside -----
31 A. It is possible. The contamination would be likely to
32 be into the lungs.
33
34 Q. Yes. After that stage of the removal of the intestines or
35 guts, what precautions can the slaughterman take to try to
36 minimise contamination or to remove contamination which may
37 have occurred?
38 A. Eventually -- after the stages of the gut removal,
39 there is a washing -- in this particular line there is a
40 washing, a carcass wash, that would help to remove
41 contamination; otherwise trimming of the carcass if there
42 was gross contamination.
43
44 Q. If there is fat on the outside of the carcass which has
45 been contaminated by something from the gut, that can be
46 removed by taking the fat off; is that what you mean?
47 A. Fat or muscle, muscle ---
48
49 Q. Fat or muscle.
50 A. -- could be trimmed too.
51
52 Q. Tell us about the washing of carcasses; is that apt to be
53 effective in the removal of contamination or not?
54 A. It will remove surface contamination.
55
56 Q. Is it important that the human beings concerned in the
57 operation keep themselves and their equipment as clean as
58 possible?
59 A. Yes.
60
