Development and test of a visual-only meat inspection system for heavy pigs in Northern Italy

ABSTRACT In Brazil, meat inspection occurs in a decentralized manner and consists of three types: (i) federal inspection (SIF), (ii) state inspection (SISP), and (iii) municipal inspection (SIM). The objective of this work was to discuss the three current inspection systems through the apparent prevalence of bovine brucellosis, a zoonosis that has an eradication program implemented by the Brazilian government. Nine abattoirs from federal, state, and municipal inspection systems were assessed and 1,490 animals were sampled. Serology for brucellosis was determined by the rose bengal test and the complement fixation test. The overall apparent prevalence (and 95% confidence interval) of brucellosis was 2.2% (1.5 to 2.9%). Apparent prevalence stratified by inspection system for SIF, SISP, and SIM was 0.4% (0.0 to 0.9%), 2.0% (0.8 to 3.2%), and 4.3% (2.5 to 6.1%), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed the odds ratio for finding an animal positive for brucellosis among inspection systems. A statistical difference (P < 0.0015) was observed among surveillance systems, with SISP × SIF, SIM × SISP, and SIM × SIF having an odds ratio of 4,996, 2,304, and 11,494, respectively. Hence, the need for increasing official surveillance in state and municipal inspection systems seems to be necessary and could assist in the surveillance of bovine brucellosis and other diseases of interest to the federation. In addition, an increase in official presence would help to improve the selection of slaughtered cattle during ante- and postmortem inspection, with consequent impact on food safety and public health.

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The traditional meat inspection system: Strenghts, weaknesses and intention for modernisation

Tehnologija mesa ◽

10.5937/tehmesa1202094b ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

pp. 94-102

Author(s):

Bojan Blagojević ◽

Dragan Antić

Keyword(s):

Meat Inspection ◽

Inspection System

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A Retrospective Study after 10 Years (2010–2019) of Meat Inspection Activity in a Domestic Swine Abattoir in Tuscany: The Slaughterhouse as an Epidemiological Observatory

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10101907 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 1907

Author(s):

Lisa Guardone ◽

Alessio Vitali ◽

Filippo Fratini ◽

Stefano Pardini ◽

Beniamino Terzo Cenci Goga ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Retrospective Study ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Animal Welfare ◽

Animal Health ◽

Northern Italy ◽

Meat Inspection ◽

Polycystic Kidney ◽

Lipomatous Pseudohypertrophy ◽

Domestic Swine ◽

Over Time

The activities performed by the Official Veterinarian at the slaughterhouse represent a useful source of data for the control of issues affecting human and animal health and welfare. This study analyzed the data deriving from ten years (2010–2019) of meat inspection in a pig slaughterhouse in Tuscany (Italy) to investigate the transport mortality rate and the frequencies and main causes of whole carcass and partial condemnations. In total, 1,246,309 pigs were slaughtered from 8 different regions of Central and Northern Italy. Overall, 1153 pigs died during transport (mortality rate 0.09%). Whole carcass condemnation affected 372 carcasses (0.03%), mainly due to erysipelas, generalized jaundice, lipomatous pseudohypertrophy, generalized abscesses, acute or generalized enteritis, and peritonitis. As regards partial condemnations, the liver was the most frequently condemned (~30% of the pigs), followed by lungs (17.3%), heart (6.9%), and kidney (0.9%). The main causes were “milk spot liver” and perihepatitis for the liver; pneumonia and pleurisy for the lungs; pericarditis and polyserositis for the heart; and polycystic kidney and nephritis for kidneys. The results of this study describe a non-worrying situation as regards the investigated aspects and confirm the slaughterhouse as a valid epidemiological observatory for monitoring the trend of the main diseases over time, the results of the efforts for their control, and the compliance with animal welfare standards.

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A Comparative Study Into Procedures for Postmortem Inspection for Finishing Pigs

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x-55.8.620 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 620-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

T. H. M. HARBERS ◽

J. F. M. SMEETS ◽

J. A. J. FABER ◽

J. M. A. SNIJDERS ◽

J. G. VAN LOGTESTIJN

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Comparative Study ◽

European Community ◽

Visual Inspection ◽

False Negative ◽

Meat Inspection ◽

Inspection System ◽

Finishing Pigs ◽

Specificity And Sensitivity ◽

Negative Findings

A postmortem meat inspection system based primarily on visual inspection without palpation or incision was compared with regular meat inspection procedures based on European Community (EC) regulations, which consists of visual inspection, palpation, and incision of organs. Two experiments included 31,682 finishing pigs. Three inspection procedures were followed: visual, i.e., an inspection without manipulation of the carcass; regular, i.e., based on EC regulations; and extra, i.e., based on EC regulations with more time allowed for the inspection. The reproducibility and accuracy of the visual and regular inspection methods were compared with those of the extra inspection. Twelve postmortem abnormalities and four additional findings were compared. The reproducibility of the visual inspection, measured with Cohen's kappa (CK), was poor to fair (CK from 0.14 to 0.64), and the regular inspection also had a poor to fair reproducibility (CK from 0.24 to 0.73). The specificity and sensitivity of the visual and regular inspection methods did not differ significantly for most of the abnormalities and additional findings. The sensitivity was low (range 0–76%) and the number of false-negative findings was sometimes high. It can be concluded that many abnormalities and additional findings are detected equally well by visual and regular postmortem inspection procedures. It is concluded that since both inspection procedures are far from perfect, risk assessment should be performed.

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VerifEYE: a real-time meat inspection system for the beef processing industry

10.1117/12.453750 ◽

2003 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Donna M. Kocak ◽

Frank M. Caimi ◽

Rick L. Flick ◽

Abdelmoula Elharti

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Meat Inspection ◽

Inspection System ◽

Processing Industry ◽

Beef Processing

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Implementation of Visual-Only Swine Inspection in the European Union: Challenges, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/jfp-20-157 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 83 (11) ◽

pp. 1918-1928 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

L. ELIZABETH RIESS ◽

KARIN HOELZER

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Food Safety ◽

The United States ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Meat Inspection ◽

Inspection System ◽

The European Union ◽

Safety Hazards ◽

Member States ◽

The World

ABSTRACT Consumption of contaminated meat and poultry products is a major source of foodborne illness in the United States and globally. Meat inspection procedures, established more than 100 years ago to detect prevailing food safety issues of the time and largely harmonized around the world, do not effectively detect modern hazards and may inadvertently increase food safety risks by spreading contamination across carcasses. Visual-only inspection (VOI) is a significantly different, modernized meat inspection system that is data driven and minimizes physical manipulation of the carcass during inspection. It was developed based on scientific evidence and risk assessment and aims to better control current food safety hazards. In 2014, the European Union (EU) became the first supranational government in the world to require VOI for all swine herds slaughtered in member states that met certain epidemiologic and animal rearing conditions. Here, we review the implementation of this new inspection system with the goal of informing similar modernization efforts in other countries and for other commodities beyond pork. This article reports the results of a literature review and interviews conducted with nine experts in 2018 on the implementation of the EU's 2014 VOI regulation. Challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned about the implementation of the regulation are described for audiences interested in adapting inspection procedures to prevent and detect modern food safety hazards. Overall, implementation of VOI varies within and across member states, and among slaughterhouses of different sizes. This variation is due to disease risk patterns, supply chain conditions, and trade barriers. Before transitioning to a similar risk-based meat inspection system, other countries should consider the following: science-based research agendas to identify what food chain information best predicts herd health and foodborne hazards, regulatory system design that accurately reflects local hazards, and development of targeted VOI educational materials. HIGHLIGHTS

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