Clean Cattle: 10 Key Messages

Friday 24 January 2003

The 10 key messages unveiled at the launch of the Clean Cattle and Meat Safety initiative

Bacteria live on coats and in the digestive tracts and faeces of healthy animals.

The Policy has resulted in an improvement in the visible cleanliness of animals being slaughtered.

Whether through rejected animals or slower line speeds at slaughter; and damaged hides due to dung or careless clipping.

Attention to feed prior to slaughter can firm up or reduce the animals' faeces, helping to reduce faecal contamination of the hide.

Checking bedding on farm, during transport and in lairage at abattoir helps keep cattle clean.

But it is the last resort as clipping can be stressful for the animal and may damage hide and cause injury to operator.

Wet cattle get dirty more easily and wet coats mean more mobile bacteria.

Journey time, lorry design and number of animals transported, all impact on the cleanliness of cattle being delivered to slaughter.

Unlike familiar animals, unfamiliar cattle will frequently rub against each other, spreading faecal contamination between animals.

The farm, the transport, the market and the holding areas should be kept as clean as possible.