Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-ckgrl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-24T14:40:51.248Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The effects of straw-only feeding prior to transport and journey time on faecal pathogen excretion and hide contamination of finished cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

L. Heasman
Affiliation:
ADAS High Mowthorpe, Duggleby, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 8BP
S. D. Webster
Affiliation:
ADAS Rosemaund, Preston Wynne, Hereford, HR1 3PG
M. L. Hutchison
Affiliation:
ADAS Wolverhampton, Woodthorne, Wergs Road, Wolverhampton, WV6 8TQ
M. H. Davies
Affiliation:
ADAS Rosemaund, Preston Wynne, Hereford, HR1 3PG
Get access

Extract

Many cases of food-borne illness in the UK are related to the consumption of contaminated meat products. This has highlighted the importance of adopting hygienic procedures throughout the meat production chain, including the farm environment (Pennington, 2000). Many factors are known to affect the hygienic condition of finished cattle (Davies et al., 2000) and various husbandry practices may be used to improve cleanliness at slaughter. Feed withdrawal, for example, may be used to reduce faecal output and improve the visible cleanliness of hides. However, the extent to which this impacts upon microbiological contamination of the hide, and its effects on pathogen levels following transport to the abattoir remain to be determined. This study investigated the interactive effects of feeding a straw-only diet prior to transport and journey time on the microbiological status of cattle faeces and hides.

Type
Poster Presentations
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Pennington, T. H. (2000) VTEC: lessons learned from British outbreaks. Journal of Applied Microbiology Symposium Supplement 88, 90S98S.Google Scholar
Davies, M.H., Hadley, P.J., Stosic, P.J. and Webster, S. D. (2000) Production factors that influence the hygienic condition of finished beef cattle. Veterinary Record 146, 179183.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed