| | Take home message | Introduction | Safe for human consumption | Options for humane slaughter & salvage | Summary - inspected versus uninspected meat | Additional reading
This is a fact sheet from the Animal Welfare section of the Alberta Feedlot Management Guide, Second Edition published September 2000. The 1200 page guide is available for purchase on CD-ROM.
Take Home Messages
The slaughter and salvage of a feedlot animal before it reaches the intended market weight is sometimes required for both humane and economic reasons.
Slaughter may be carried out at a feedlot, at a licensed abattoir, or a federal facility.
The animal must pass ante-mortem (before death) inspection and the carcass must pass post-mortem (after death) inspection, by an appointed inspector before the meat may be sold or given away.
Uninspected meat may only be consumed by the owner (including the immediate family) of the live animal.
Introduction
Feedlot cattle sometimes need to be slaughtered prior to reaching the intended market weight. Typically, this occurs following an injury in the feedlot or a diagnosis of a chronic illness. Salvage and use of the meat of these animals may be acceptable provided that a determination is made of the animal being suitable for slaughter, its meat being safe for human consumption, and that slaughter and processing has been conducted in a humane and sanitary manner.
Safe for Human Consumption
In order to be safe for human consumption, an animal being considered for slaughter must be:
- Free from any drug or pesticide residues; and
- Free from acute illness or illness that will affect meat safety at the time of slaughter.
In order to ensure an animal is free from any drug or pesticide residues, the feedlot must keep accurate records on the use of all drug and pesticide products administered directly to the individual animal or through the watering or feeding program. Proper withdrawal times must be followed when an animal is taken off drug products or if pesticide products are withdrawn.
In order to ensure an animal is free from acute illness or illness that will affect meat safety at the time of slaughter, it is recommended that the feedlot veterinarian examine the live animal (ante-mortem inspection) and determine if it suitable for slaughter. If the animal is suitable for slaughter, a written confirmation of the ante-mortem inspection report should accompany the animal to the abattoir where the post mortem inspection will be completed. Veterinarians who have been appointed as provincial meat inspectors are authorized to complete ante-mortem and post mortem inspection.
Once a decision has been made to slaughter an animal and salvage its meat, attention must be given to the humane treatment of the animal, sanitary dressing of the carcass, and salvage of the meat. Compromised animals that have a reduced capacity to withstand undue stress during transportation due to injury, fatigue, poor health, or any other cause, must not be loaded or transported.
To ensure that the welfare of the animal is maintained, the animal must be humanely handled and stunned. Shooting the animal in the head or stunning it with an approved mechanical device, such as a captive bolt pistol, are recommended for producing rapid unconsciousness and ensuring the animal is insensitive prior to bleeding.
Options for Humane Slaughter & Salvage
Abattoir slaughter
Slaughtering and processing may take place at a licensed abattoir licensed that is equipped and maintained for this purpose. A list of abattoirs licensed by the Government of Alberta is available from:
Regulatory Services Division
3rd Floor, #304
7000-113 Street
J.G. O’Donoghue Building
Edmonton, AB T6H 5T6
Tel: 780-422-2104 (Toll-Free 310-0000)
Fax: 780- 422-4513
The use of the services of a licensed abattoir will ensure that the animal is stunned humanely and the carcass is handled in a sanitary manner. Ante-mortem inspection of the live animal and the postmortem inspection of the carcass by a government appointed inspector will also be provided. Meat from the carcass of a properly inspected and approved animal may be sold or given away within Alberta.
Figure 1. Humane destruction of cattle. Recommended position for frontal method. (Suitable for firearm or captive-bolt pistol).
Slaughter at the feedlot
If an animal is disabled to the point that transportation to an abattoir is not humane, yet the animal still has salvage value, then it must be killed at the feedlot. Two options exist for slaughtering an animal at the feedlot.
The animal can be slaughtered by the owner.
Here, attention should be paid to the following:
- Humane stunning requires that a .22 calibre or larger rifle, or a captive bolt be used;
- Proper placement of the bullet or captive bolt is illustrated in Figure 1;
- After stunning the animal should be elevated for proper bleeding, skinning, eviscerating, and cleaning (washing) of the carcass;
- Care must be taken to ensure the carcass is kept clean and free from sources of contamination; and
- The carcass should be placed in a cooler within 2 hours of slaughter. Rapid chilling stops the growth of bacteria that cause food-borne illness and meat spoilage.
Mobile butchers, licensed by the Alberta government, can attend at the feedlot to slaughter a compromised or disabled animal.
Most mobile butchers also offer a meat processing service or can transport the carcass to such a meat shop or facility that does provide this service. A list of the licensed mobile butchers in Alberta is also available from Livestock Marketing Services. Meat from the carcass of an animal that has been slaughtered (stunned, bled and eviscerated) by a mobile butcher or owner is not inspected and cannot be sold or given away. It may only be consumed by the owner of the live animal and his or her immediate family.
If salvaged meat is intended for sale, or to be given away, it must have been subjected to the following procedures:
- The live animal must pass ante-mortem inspection by a veterinarian or appointed inspector;
- The owner must complete a livestock manifest to accompany the carcass to the abattoir;
- Confirmation of ante-mortem veterinary inspection must accompany the carcass; and
- The carcass, with the hide, viscera and organs intact, must arrive at a provincially licensed abattoir within 30 minutes of stunning and bleeding;
The inspection of carcass and viscera at the abattoir by appointed inspectors may result in the meat being approved of for sale.
Summary - Inspected versus Uninspected Meat
Meat from an animal carcass that has not passed both ante-mortem (before slaughter) and post-mortem (after slaughter) inspection is ‘uninspected meat’ and may not be legally sold or given away. Only the owner (including the immediate family) of the live animal may consume uninspected meat.
Only meat from an animal carcass that has passed both ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection may be legally sold or given away.
A veterinarian who has been appointed as a meat inspector under the Meat Inspection Act, or another person who has been approved of and appointed as an inspector at a licensed abattoir may conduct ante-mortem inspection.
Post-mortem inspection must be done at a licensed abattoir by an appointed government inspector or appointed veterinarian.
Additional Reading
For transport and handling of disabled animals, please refer to the article entitled “Preventing and Handling Disabled Cattle on the Farm” in this section of the Feedlot Management Guide.
Owners of custom feedlots need to be aware of the legislation governing meat inspection in Alberta. The Meat Inspection Regulation, which should be read together with the Meat Inspection Act, is administered by Regulatory Services Division of ARD. The Food Regulation exists under the Health Act, and is administered by Health and Wellness.
Copies of the legislation are available from:
The Queen’s Printer
11510 Kingsway Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T5G 2Y
Tel: 780-472-4952 | J.J. Bowlen Building
5620 - 7th Avenue, S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2P 0Y8
Tel: 403-261-6251 |
. Alberta Feedlot Management Guide. |
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