Publication Database

When to condemn? - development of criteria for external lesions found in post-mortem inspection of broilers (2025)

Art

Poster

Autoren

Majewski, Michal

Alban, Lis

Sandberg, Marianne

Kongress

25th ECVPH Annual Conference and AGM: "Integrating Veterinary Public Health, Sustainability of Food Production, and Environmental Challenges in the Green Deal Era"

Hybrid, 17. – 19.09.2025

Quelle

25th ECVPH Annual Conference and AGM: "Integrating Veterinary Public Health, Sustainability of Food Production, and Environmental Challenges in the Green Deal Era" : Conference Proceedings — Eueopean College of Veterinary Public Health (Hrsg.)

Messina, Italy, 2025 — S. 17

Sprache

Englisch

Verweise

URL (Volltext): https://ecvph.org/sites/default/files/paragraph-documents/ECVPH%202025%20Messina%20Conference%20Proceedings-1.pdf

Kontakt

Institut für Lebensmittelsicherheit und -hygiene

Königsweg 69
14163 Berlin
+49 30 838 62551 / 52790
lebensmittelhygiene@vetmed.fu-berlin.de / fleischhygiene@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

Abstract / Zusammenfassung

Background: According to the European Food Safety Authority, condemnation codes used in post-mortem inspection (PMI) should be revised to more accurately represent issues of relevance to animal health, welfare, food safety, and meat quality. In response to this, Majewski et al. (2024)
proposed a harmonized and risk-based code system (RBCS) involving 13 codes for PMI of broilers.
Objective: The next step is to establish criteria for each of the 13 codes and combination of codes, for which the official veterinarian (OV) decides whether broiler meat is unfit for human consumption. In the present study, focus is on criteria for findings on the external surfaces of the carcass such as
emaciation/generalized disease, skin lesions, arthritis, traumas, wooden breast, and processing-related defects.
Materials and Methods: An in-depth survey is ongoing, among OVs working in poultry abattoirs located in 11 European countries. The OVs are asked to score a series of pictures showing broiler carcasses with subsequent severities of the codes, regarding whether the meat should be classified
as unfit or fit for consumption. Agreement statistics will be made.
Results: The results of the survey will be presented at the conference.
Discussion and Conclusion: Currently, PMI criteria differ within and between abattoirs and countries. Inspection systems based on computer vision systems (CVS) are being developed.
However, it is important to establish when the severity of lesions requires total or partial condemnation of the broiler carcass. Therefore, the PMI criteria will form an essential part of a future CVS, as these will ensure the uniformity of PMI within and between abattoirs and countries.
Perspectives: In the next phase of the project, criteria for the remaining RBCS codes, focusing on the inspection of viscera and slaughter hygiene, will be established.