UK Breaches of BSE controls in consignments of beef 2011 communications
missing four reports
Last updated on 6 September 2012
Breaches of BSE controls in consignments of beef
Due to an oversight, four breaches of BSE controls in British beef
identified last year were not publicised immediately on the Agency’s website in
the normal manner. .
As all specified risk material (SRM) was removed from the beef carcasses it
is highly unlikely that there was any health risk to members of the public. SRM
is those parts of the animal most likely to contain BSE infectivity. Under
European law, SRM must be removed from the carcass after slaughter, stained and
disposed of safely.
In the interests of transparency, the Agency is now issuing reports on
these incidents. ..
BSE breaches August 2011
During routine inspections in August 2011 by staff in the Department of
Agriculture and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DARD), breaches of BSE
controls were discovered in three separate consignments of beef sides received
at Omagh Meats, an approved slaughterhouse and cutting plant in Northern
Ireland.
On 17 August 2011, a consignment of 76 beef sides was received from West
Devon Meat Ltd, an approved slaughterhouse near Okehampton. The documentation
accompanying this consignment did not separately identify sides originating from
animals aged over 30 months (OTM) and animals under 30 months of age (UTM).
On 23 August 2011, two other consignments of beef sides were received from
West Scottish Lamb, an approved slaughterhouse in Carlisle.
The first of these consignments contained 108 sides, 52 originating from
OTM animals and 56 from UTM animals. Six of the OTM sides were labelled
incorrectly as being from UTM cattle.
The second consignment consisted of 118 sides. Sixteen of the sides listed
in the documentation as being from OTM animals were found to be labelled
incorrectly as UTM. In addition, two OTM sides were listed incorrectly as UTM on
the accompanying documentation.
The vertebral column of OTM cattle is SRM. The European Union transmissible
spongiform encephalopathy controls require that UTM and OTM carcasses are
identified separately on consignment documentation and are also labelled
differently. Although the sides in these consignments were identified correctly
by DARD inspectors and Omagh Meats, in accordance with normal practice at Omagh
Meats, all the sides were treated as originating from OTM cattle and the
vertebral column was removed and treated as SRM.
The receiving business, Omagh Meats, was not responsible for the breaches.
..
BSE breaches September 2011
In a separate incident, on 1 September 2011, during routine inspection at a
different approved slaughterhouse and cutting plant in Northern Ireland, spinal
cord was found in a health-marked beef quarter received in a consignment of 224
quarters from ABP Sturminster Newton, an approved slaughterhouse in Dorset. All
the other quarters were checked and no further SRM was discovered.
The spinal cord in cattle over 12 months of age is SRM and must be removed.
The non-compliant quarter was destroyed and no SRM entered the food chain.
The receiving business was not responsible for the breach.
The official vets in all the originating plants have been informed of the
breaches and steps have been taken, in collaboration with the plant management,
to prevent a recurrence.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
ANOTHER COW NOT TESTED FOR BSE AKA MAD COW LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN EATEN UK
2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Potential mad cows that entered food supply without being tested for BSE
2011: UK END OF YEAR REVIEW
Monday, August 13, 2012
Summary results of the second national survey of abnormal prion prevalence
in archived appendix specimens August 2012
TSS
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