Food safety demands inner cleanliness for bullocks
A few years ago, producers were putting their lives at risk clipping the dirty hides of lively 600 kg beef cattle. They were following these dangerous rodeo hair-cutting routines because of the factory clampdown on dirty hides.
It's not so big an issue since cattle got scarcer. But it hasn't gone away, said Dr Jim Sheridan of the National Food Centre, at Teagasc's International Food Conference. He revealed that the farm is still recognised as the primary source of dangerous bacteria on fresh meat.
"Reducing the numbers of bacteria in animal faeces which contaminate the hides is a major priority, as are interventions in the slaughterhouse where incoming animals may harbour pathogens in faeces, on the hides and in fleece or skin," he said.
Researchers are coming up with some hair raising methods to combat the problem of those dirty animals. In slaughterhouses, recent tests were very successful in using sodium sulphide for de-hairing cattle (even though it is poisonous, caustic, and highly flammable). The detached hair is washed off with water leaving a clean surface with greatly decreased bacteria numbers.
Organic acid washes can give a 10-fold reduction in bacterial numbers; steam pasteurisation of carcasses can effect a 100-fold reduction, but hot water was found more effective than steam in reducing the number of coliform bacteria. Chilling slows bacterial growth on beef, pork and lamb carcasses.
As for the farmers' role, researchers are investigating how they can help their cattle achieve "inner cleanliness." Potential solutions include the use of vaccines to control the spread of bacteria in the cattle, or feeding them probiotic, 'beneficial' bacteria that 'fight' the bad bacteria. Sodium chlorate, better known as an explosives ingredient and weed killer, is being investigated as a clear-out dose for pigs.
Farmers might also have to turn to composting animal wastes, which achieves a better kill of bacteria. Unfortunately, researchers haven't yet got around to investigating how farmers will afford production of germ-free cattle in the decoupled farming era.
