Meat controls under scrutiny

The Food Standards Agency has taken the first step in reforming meat inspection processes.

It has agreed to commission new research to find a more targeted approach for inspecting for cysticerc us bovis, a t y pe of t apeworm, in catt l e carcases.

The European Food Safety Authority has already recommended the inspection process is modernised as many of the checks currently date back a century, but fail to recognise the microbiological risks that meat poses.

The agency said the research was being undertaken as part of its future meat controls research programme which is gathering evidence to mod- ernise meat inspection. It added: “The objective of the FSA's review of meat controls is to improve public health by adopting a more risk and evidencebased approach to meat inspection."

NFU Scotland and the Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers both welcomed the research.

But NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller said some of the demands asso- ciated with the proposed inspection changes could be difficult to deliver. He, however, said the opportunity to drive costs out of the abattoir while still protecting public health should not be missed.

Mr Miller said the food chain information likely to be demanded would be easy for pig and poultry farmers to deliver as they raised regular batches on one premises which mean food chain information demands were easy to deliver and very accurate.

He added: “In extensive cattle and sheep systems, particularly were stock have been bought in, any ad- ditional food chain information requirements above what is currently re- quired may be deliver on.

“It is also important to

difficult to remember that visual inspection of cattle and sheep carcases at abattoir level also provides a vital surveillance tool in meeting Scottish animal health standards, especially in areas such as bovine tuberculosis and fluke ( rumen and liver). A level of visual assessment of carcases may still be a benefit when it comes to monitoring diseases."

SAMW executive manager Ian Anderson said it had been calling f or changes to inspection for some time.

The proposals from EFSA would allow visual inspection of carcasses to replace routine palpation and incision techniques which are currently part of the post-mortem examination.

He added: “As the postmortem process is used as a source of animal health surveillance it makes sense to look at approaches to inspection for cysticercus bovis and we await the outcome with interest.”

CHANGES IN PIPELINE: Many of the checks date back a century, but fail to recognise the microbiological risks that meat poses

Ian Anderson