File:The importance of sending clean cattle to slaughter

Beef producers are being reminded about the importance of ensuring livestock are clean when they are presented for slaughter in this video produced by AHDB Beef & Lamb.

It demonstrates the danger of dirt and faeces being transferred from the hide of an animal onto the meat during processing and how this risk can increase with dirtier stock.

Special dispensation was obtained from a vet to allow the animals in the video, which would be deemed unacceptably dirty, to be processed for the purpose of the videos.

Usually the animals featured would have undergone some intervention at the abattoir, such as additional cleaning or clipping, which is normally carried out at a cost to the farmer.

Food safety is the primary reason for these measures, as pathogens such as e-coli and salmonella carried in the guts of infected animals can cause food-borne illnesses in humans if the faeces is transferred onto sterile carcase meat. But dirty stock can also impact the financial return to the producer, as contaminated meat is trimmed away, reducing the weight of the carcase and therefore the price paid.