The topic of cleanliness of sheep delivered for slaughter has come more under the spotlight in the last 18 months. The introduction of clipping charges by some plants has generated more discussion among producers while the Department of Agriculture cites a recent evaluation of sheep carcase hygiene in slaughter plants as being the driving force behind the need to develop a clean livestock policy (CLP) for sheep. The Department has been engaged in a consultation process with industry stakeholders for some time and has now released a CLP for sheep. It aims to put measures in place that will significantly improve performance in relation to the cleanliness of incoming sheep to slaughter plants and, in doing so, safeguard Ireland’s export trade in meat and hides.
The topic of cleanliness of sheep delivered for slaughter has come more under the spotlight in the last 18 months. The introduction of clipping charges by some plants has generated more discussion among producers while the Department of Agriculture cites a recent evaluation of sheep carcase hygiene in slaughter plants as being the driving force behind the need to develop a clean livestock policy (CLP) for sheep.
The Department has been engaged in a consultation process with industry stakeholders for some time and has now released a CLP for sheep. It aims to put measures in place that will significantly improve performance in relation to the cleanliness of incoming sheep to slaughter plants and, in doing so, safeguard Ireland’s export trade in meat and hides.
The policy, which the Department aims to progress with stakeholders on a continuous basis, follows a similar format to the policy in place for bovines. This includes classifying sheep delivered for slaughter into three categories – satisfactory, acceptable and unacceptable. These are rules that must be followed by the industry and are detailed below. Photographs to illustrate the three categories are unfortunately not available yet but making standard photographic examples available at the entry to the lairage of a slaughter plant is one of the recommendations highlighted for processors.
The policy recommends a list of steps or interventions for farmers, hauliers and processors which, it says, will minimise the potential for carcase contamination during slaughtering. Interestingly, in the case of category A animals, the policy says that no intervention is required other than the application of standard hygienic dressing procedures which calls into question producers being charged for clipping clean animals.
Clean livestock policy categories
Category (A) – satisfactory: sheep that can be slaughtered, without an unacceptable risk of contaminating the meat during the slaughter process, by using the standard hygienic dressing procedures routinely employed by the plant.Category (B) – acceptable: sheep that can only be slaughtered, without an unacceptable risk of contamination of the meat during the slaughter process, by putting in place additional interventions including extra defined dressing controls. Category (C) – unacceptable: sheep unfit for slaughter because of fleece condition. These sheep must not be presented for ante-mortem in this condition and it is the responsibility of the food business operator (FBO) to take the required remedial action.
Recommendations for farmers, processors and hauliers
The following are a number of steps listed in the policy for stakeholders to follow
to minimise the potential for carcase contamination during sheep slaughter
Dock lamb tails before seven days of age, if necessary, taking account of husbandry practices and market outlets.Crutch/dag dirty sheep prior to transport to slaughter plant.House animals on straw bedding or clean slats and withdraw feed from sheep for a minimum of eight hours pre-slaughter. Water should be available to animals at all times.Whether using your own or contracted transportation, you should only use clean, dry, well-ventilated transport vehicles. The transport vehicle should have a waterproof roof, where possible, taking account of journey times and weather conditions. You should also ensure you use absorbent materials on the floor of the transport vehicles.Producers are food business operators and should only send clean sheep to the slaughter plant.Hauliers have a major role to play and must ensure the transport vehicle is clean and dry prior to loading.Only use well-ventilated transport vehicles. The transport vehicle should have a waterproof roof, where possible, taking account of journey times and weather conditions.Where tiered transport vehicles are used, the haulier should ensure that faeces and urine from sheep on higher tiers or levels do not soil sheep on lower tiers or levels. Use absorbent materials on the floor of transport vehicles during transport. Only load clean sheep.Follow-up engagement and actions will be taken where it is clearly evident that soiling is attributable to repeated failure on the part of a haulier.Provide standard photographic examples of all three categories (A, B and C) at the entrance to the lairage of the slaughter plant.Categorise and record the number of sheep accepted into the slaughter plant into the A/B/C categories listed. In the case of category A animals, no intervention is required other than the application of standard hygienic dressing procedures.In the case of Category B animals, the FBO must ensure an intervention takes place, eg removal of wool from either side of all cut lines in a well-ventilated area immediately after bleeding and prior to entry into the dressing area. The width of the sheared surface must be greater than the wool length. Air movement in the clipping area must be in the opposite direction to that of the slaughter line.Additional/alternative interventions can also be considered providing they ensure an equivalent outcome.In the case of Category C animals, the FBO must take all required steps ranging from drying out the fleece to completely shearing some animals prior to presentation of the animals for ante-mortem examination. The FBO must also have a standard operating procedure in place and agreed with the Department, setting out the procedures to address these requirements. For an interim period (until 1 June 2017) as a minimum intervention, such animals must be kept to the end of the day for processing. Modify dressing techniques and line speed, where necessary, to minimise carcase contamination. Take all necessary steps to ensure only clean carcases are presented for postmortem inspection.To ensure a process of continuous improvement, over time, the processor should provide feedback to herdowners/keepers on the condition of their animals presented for slaughter, eg by giving the number of animals by CLP category; by providing photographic evidence, where necessary, of the condition of the animals.Provide adequate washing facilities for transport vehicles which must include a means of capturing/storing transport bedding. The Department lists its role as coordinating the following:
The CLP awareness campaign – including dissemination of information through stakeholders, updating advice leaflets, channelling information on CLP to farmers via Teagasc and discussion groups and mailshots to repeat offenders.Review measures by stakeholders designed to reduce production and intake of Category C animals at factories.Review risk assessment for on-farm inspections, in particular for the hygiene and recording provisions that relate to the production of clean livestock.Encouraging processing industry to consider measures designed to reduce intake of Category Cs.Consideration of application of compliance actions, with a view to avoiding recurrence of significant CLP non-conformance. Options range from warning letters to inspections and as a last resort sanctions allowed under national and EU legislation. Read more
Editorial: industry must work together
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: