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12 beef carcasses from 3 farms in Germany, raised and slaughtered at the farm of origin or at a local abattoir, were sampled at the brisket, flank and hind leg before and after chilling and microbiologically examined. The average aerobic plate count amounted to (log) 3.88 cfu/cm2 before and (lg) 4.37 cfu after chilling. The bacterial flora identified were mainly Gram-positive microorganisms. It is concluded that more surveillance is required in producer retailing farms and associated abattoirs