Conference on meat inspection
Animal health and welfare
monitoring as integrated
part of meat inspection
Alberto Laddomada
Head of Unit SANCO D1
Animal Health and Standing Committees
Prevention is better than cure
Better biosecurity in holdings
Surveillance (active and passive):
In holdings
Before and during transport
At place of destination
(slaughterhouse!)
Any other place and/or source
Evolution of surveillance in EU
Originally: limited EU provisions on
surveillance (focus on trade and fight
against diseases)
From mid-90’s: more detailed
compulsory surveillance (BSE, zoonoses,
avian influenza, bluetongue, etc.)
In future: a comprehensive, risk-based
surveillance system
Modern approach: how to do best?
Importance of meat inspection
for animal health
Ante and post mortem inspection are
cornerstones for animal disease
surveillance
Slaughterhouse is a focal point where
animal diseases can be detected
Confirms and supplements data from
other sources
Beyond decision on meat: a public
good function
Example 1: Meat inspection and
Tuberculosis (TB) detection
Purpose:
Granting free status of herds, regions,
MSs rely on surveillance in abattoir to
identify TB lesions
Legislation:
Annex A.I. of Directive 64/432/EEC on intraEU trade of bovine animals, on granting
status
OIE Code chapter on TB
TB inspection contd.
Rationale
TB is an asymptomatic disease in cattle and a serious
zoonosis
Diagnostic tests in farm lack sensitivity (~ 70-75%)
Anergic reactors go undetected at the tuberculin test
Raw milk from infected animals is a threat for public
health unless coming from free herds or is heat
treated
Science:
EFSA opinion on palpation/visual inspection in calves
recommends keeping the most stringent procedures
for TB inspection and slaughterhouse is the best place
for detection
Example 2: foot and mouth
disease (FMD) in UK in 2001
Ante-mortem inspection in South-East England
on pigs from North-East England
By a person who never saw FMD
Decisive elements:
Professional qualification as a vet
Curriculum of study including „exotic”
diseases
Personal quality and awareness
(maintanence of corporate memory about
now exotic diseases)
FMD contd.
Emergency situation in all UK
Limiting damages:
Speed of detection: role of highly
trained individuals at key places
Speed of confirmation
Immediate handling of situation:
In the slaughterhouse
Importance of the meat
inspection in international trade
EU export toward third countries
Import of products of animal origin
from third countries into the EU
The respect of international standards in meat
inspection:
•facilitates international trade
•grants the health requirements are respected
O.I.E. Terrestrial Animal Health
Code, Chapter 1.4.
Animal health surveillance
Article 1.4.5. Structured non-random
surveillance
D) Ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections
Inspections of animals at slaughterhouses
provide valuable surveillance data. The
sensitivity and specificity of slaughterhouse
inspection for detecting the presence of
specified diseases under the inspection system
in place should be pre-determined.
O.I.E. Code, Chapter 6.2.
Control of biological hazards of animal
health and public health importance through
ante- and post-mortem meat inspection
Inspection of animals at slaughter can provide a
valuable contribution to surveillance for certain
diseases of animal and public health importance.
Control and/or reduction of biological hazards of
animal and public health importance by ante- and
post-mortem meat inspection are a core
responsibility of Veterinary Services.
Import: since 1972
Article 17 of 72/462/EEC
1. The Member States shall not authorize importation of
fresh meat in the form of carcases, including halfcarcases in the case of swine, and halves or quarters in
the case of bovine animals and solipeds, unless it it
possible to reconstruct the entire carcase of each animal.
2. Such importation shall be subject to the following
conditions: the fresh meat must
(a) have been obtained in a slaughterhouse included on
the list established inaccordance with Article 4 (1);
(b) come from a slaughter animal inspected ante mortem
by an official veterinarian in accordance with Annex 1,
Chapter VI, of Directive 64/433/EEC and passed fit, as a
result of such inspection for slaughter for the purposes of
export to the Community.
Import now
Similar provisions in current import
certificates (e.g. Reg (EC)
206/2010)
Ante mortem inspection „shown no
evidence of diseases…”
Animal Health conclusions
Prevention is better than cure
Ramifications for imports
Professional qualifications are key
Meat inspection as part of a system
Cost-benefit must be considered
New EU legislation on the
protection of animals at the time
of killing
Council Regulation 1099/2009 on
the protection of animals at the
time of killing
(OJ L 303,18.11.2009, p. 1)
Entry into application 1 Jan 2013
In line with the hygiene package
Operators to take ownership of
animal welfare
Standard Operating Procedures
Monitoring the effect of stunning on
animals
Determining key paramaters of
stunning
Towards better knowledge
Competence of staff
General obligation
Certificate of competence
For staff in slaughterhouses
For fur farmers
Stunning and restraining equipments
Instruction of use and maintenance
Method for monitoring stunning efficiency on
animals
More flexibility
List of approved stunning/killing
methods
More precise definition and
requirements
Possibly updated through comitology
An integrated approach (1)
Standards on construction, layout
and equipment integrated in the
approval process
Animal Welfare Officer
Monitoring procedure for stunning
with animal based indicators
An integrated approach (2)
New approach in line with the
Hygiene Package
Flexible on the means
Prescriptive on the method
Policy focused on developing
learning mechanisms
Certificate of competence and scientific
support
Conclusions
My title was: animal health and welfare
monitoring as integrated part of meat
inspection
In reality it could also have been: meat
inspection as integrated part of animal
health and welfare monitoring and
surveillance