Slaughter

• History of meat inspection:

  • 1843: 1st meat inspection at an abattoir behind the Grand Operahouse in Rizal Avenue under the supervision of Capitan Mariscal of the Spanish Army
  • American Regime: Conducted by veterinary surgeon under the Philippine Commissioner of Health
  • 1905: Handled by the Bureau of Animal Industry under the supervision of the Bureau of Health
  • 1936: Commonwealth Act No 82 transferred supervision and control of meat inspection to BAI except for sanitation and health matters, leading to the creation of meat inspector positions
• 1972: PD No 7 and LOI No. 16 established the National Meat Inspection Commission to regulate the flow of livestock and products, and oversee slaughterhouses, meat establishments, and inspection systems
• NMIC Administrative Order No.6 series 1975 amended Animal Industry Admin Order No.9 series of 1954, known as Meat Inspection Regulations, serving as the "Bible" of meat inspectors
• NMIC Administrative Order No. 5 eradicated the sale of "hot" meat and illegal slaughter of food animals, with confiscated carcasses donated to charitable institutions
• Executive Order No. 626 banned the slaughter of carabaos and buffaloes 7 years old or below if male, and 11 years old or below if female, prohibiting slaughter permits without certification of age and health
• Administrative Order No. 11 prohibits the slaughter of pregnant and young female cattle (6 years old and below)
• Meat Industry Administrative Order No. 7 sets the schedule of fees and charges for services rendered by the NMIC
• Republic Act 9296, the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, renamed NMIC to NMIS in July 2003
• Republic Act 10536 amended RA 9296, approved on May 15, 2013 by Pres. B. Aquino
• Objectives of Meat Inspection:

  • Procure wholesome meat for human consumption
  • Protect consumers from eating diseased meat/meat products
  • Protect consumers from financial loss through frauds/deceptions
  • Furnish valuable assistance to veterinary police work and hygiene
• Ante mortem inspection is the first line of defense in protecting the meat supply, recognizing and removing clinically affected animals
• Reasons why ante-mortem inspection is necessary:

  1. Detect diseases undetectable on post-mortem inspection

  2. Obtain information useful for post-mortem

  3. Avoid unnecessary contamination

  4. Benefit livestock raisers in disease prevention

  5. Prevent unscrupulous butchers from using healthy animals for meat

  6. Prohibit slaughter of animals fit for work or breeding purposes, especially in carabaos and pregnant animals
• General principle of ante-mortem inspection: Determine if each animal is normal or abnormal
• 3 classes of animals with abnormal conditions:

  1. Unfit for slaughter - treated if possible, otherwise condemned and disposed of

  2. Animals with local conditions are segregated for further inspection

  3. Animals affected by conditions not rendering them unfit are inspected separately
• Abnormalities checked during ante-mortem examination include: respiration, behavior, gait, posture, structure, discharges, color, and odor
• Abnormalities in behavior include walking in circles, abnormal gait or posture, pushing head against a wall, aggression, and dull/anxious expression in the eyes
• Abnormal gait in animals is associated with pain or nervous disease, while abnormal posture includes tucked abdomen or inability to rise
• Abnormalities in structure (conformation) include swellings, enlarged joints, umbilical swelling, sensitive udder, enlarged jaw, and bloated abdomen
• Abnormal discharges or protrusions from the body include nose discharges, excessive saliva, afterbirth, protrusions from vulva, rectum, uterus, vagina, eye growths, and bloody diarrhea
• Post Mortem Inspection involves examining carcass, entrails, and head of slaughtered animals that passed ante-mortem inspection to detect diseases and eliminate unfit parts
• Objectives of Post Mortem Inspection:

  1. Detect diseases not visible during ante-mortem

  2. Eliminate unfit or diseased parts of carcass or organs

  3. Confirm ante-mortem diagnosis on lesions found during post-mortem
• Selection of animals for slaughter depends on

  The purpose for which the meat is to be used and the cost of the end product
• Factors to consider in selecting animals for slaughter

  • Age
  • Sex
  • Size
  • Degree of fatness
  • Health of animal
• Management of animals prior to slaughter

  1. Fasting

  2. Allow the animal to relax

  3. Handle the animal gently

  4. Clean the animal
• Reasons for fasting animals before slaughter
• Forms of stress for animals

  • Shipping
  • Overcrowding
  • Driving
  • Heat stress
• Effect of stress in meat: Unstressed animal has a pH of 5.3 with a very gradual drop in pH and gradual/slow glycolysis. Stressed animal has a pH of 6-7 with a very rapid drop in pH and rapid glycolysis due to the rise in temperature of the carcass