View report page

132
DISEASED CARCASES BEARING U.S. LABEL.
Illustration of the little value of the U.S. label attached to carcases is
shown in the following cases.
On the 3rd May, 1907, a firm of salesmen in the Central Market, Smithfield,
sent from a cold air store to a customer at Reading a fore-quarter of American
beef bearing the inspection label of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Upon arrival at Reading this meat was examined by an Inspector of that
authority who found the sternal glands to be diseased.
On the 22nd October, 1907, I submitted to the Sanitary Committee
specimens cut from the carcase of a pig badly affected with acute pleurisy
which had seriously affected the condition of the animal. The carcase, which
was in consequence quite unfit for food, was seized and destroyed with the
consent of the salesmen.
This pig was seized on the 18th October at one of the premises of one of
the largest meat importing Companies. Upon enquiry it was found that it
came from the State of Massachusetts, U.S.A., in the s.s. "Georgian" from
Charlestown. At my suggestion the attention of the United States Government
was called to the matter in order that they might have an opportunity of
furnishing some explanation, but up to the time of writing this has not yet
been supplied.
These cases emphasise the necessity of still exercising a most careful supervision
over all meat coming from the United States. The new regulations for
meat inspection in the United States, though perhaps in themselves
commendable, appear to be carried into effect with so little regard to efficiency
that your Inspectors would not be justified in passing a carcase bearing a U.S.
label without examination.
TUBERCULOUS PIGS FROM RUSSIA.
In April, 1907, a consignment of 60 frozen Russian pigs, without heads,
reached the Market for a preliminary examination while still in a hardened
condition; evidence of tuberculosis was found in four out of five, an
arrangement was therefore made that in order to facilitate inspection, the whole
consignment should be dealt with by one form, when a careful examination
disclosed that 13 out of the 60 were tuberculous.
Being informed that a large consignment of 250 was expected, and knowing
that the Russian standard of inspection was not in accordance with those
recommended by the Local Government Board, and adopted in the City
Markets, the Sanitary Committee, acting on my advice, directed that the facts
be brought to the notice of the Russian Consulate and to the Local
Government Board.