The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: hughesy on November 05, 2014, 03:04:54 pm
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Anyone had any issues with the new trichinella testing process at the abattoir?
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mine was tested a while ago now as she was very big. we had to wait a few extra days for her carcuss.
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I sent two pigs to my local slaughterhouse in the past week. When I booked them in I was told to tick the box on the movement document that they were kept in 'controlled housing conditions' otherwise they would be trichinella tested. I'm not absolutely sure what controlled housing conditions are but I kept a very careful control over what was in their sty. Anybody know what it means officially?
Regards, David
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'controlled housing' is indoor pig units where temperature, humidity etc are regulated. Also tends to mean there is no access in or out for any wild animals including birds or rodents.
As far as I am aware, there has been no trichinella in the UK for many years, but we are having to test more than just breeding sows and boars at routine slaughter than previously.
Last couple of times we've had pigs going, we've had cull sows as well anyway, so it's not affected us.
Our butcher picks up from the abattoir 2-5 days after kill date, and it's usually tested by then so no hassle.
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Both The British Pig Association and the National Pig Association are pushing the Food Standards Agency (who introduced this mess!) to come up with pragmatic guidance, as outdoor may be allowed - the rules state (amongst other things) :
'none of the animals has access to outdoor facilities unless the food business operator can show by a risk analysis to the satisfaction of the competent authority that the time period, facilities and circumstances of outdoor access do not pose a danger for introduction of Trichinella in the holding. '
Of course since the UK doesn't have Trichinella, there is no risk, so a sensible risk analysis would allow it :-), but since when does sense come into regulations.
The FSA have said it is unlikely that they can come up with guidance 'until at least the new year' - after all they only decided to do this 8 months ago.
In the meantime, some abattoirs (and indeed FSA officials) are telling customers to tick controlled housing in all cases and not testing, some abattoirs are testing all outdoor, and some are a mix.
And of course nothing but muddled wording which doesn't help at all on the FSA website.
http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/meat/trichinella-pigs/trichinella-pigs-testing (http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/meat/trichinella-pigs/trichinella-pigs-testing)
It's a total mess at the moment!!!
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It is indeed a mess. The only thing that the vet at the abattoir uses to decide if your pigs need to be tested is what it says on your movement license. And in the absence of any clear instruction as to what controlled housing actually means or any form of checking by the fsa or trading standards the whole thing is made a mockery of.. I've heard of at least one abattoir that has told all it's customers to tick the box for controlled housing as they have no intention of sending any samples for testing.
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I just filled out the eaml for our 4 who are off tomorrow - as we only do one lot a year I was a bit perplexed when I saw the trichinella bit. After much confusion and looking at the laughingly labelled 'help' links on BPEX I was very relieved to find this thread on here.
Of course our 4 have been in controlled housing.... :innocent: