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57
Inspectors are accompanied by a man who is used to the procedure,
and thus the time which the Inspectors spend in inspection is
economised Roughly, about 60 per cent, of the time of one;
inspector, together with that of the man who accompanies him, is
taken up with inspection from September to March, and about
35 per cent, of their time during the summer months.
Every endeavour is made to carry out strictly the instructions
of the Ministry of Health, as laid down in Memorandum 62.
This strict inspection has had unfortunate results. Complaint
was made that the high percentage of organs and carcases
condemned affected their trade adversely. Traders were diverting
the supply of pigs to other manufacturers whose slaughterhouses
were situated in districts where the inspection was less stringent
Two specific instances were given. In one instance, the firm
slaughtered over 24,000 pigs every year. Last year in this slaughterhouse,
the Sanitary Inspector who is also the Borough Surveyor
devoted an average of three quarters of an hour three times a week
for the inspection. If I give some of the instructions in Memorandum
62, it will be seen how utterly inadequate such an inspection
must be.
The Memorandum lays down that every effort should be made
to inspect the carcases and viscera of all animals slaughtered within
the area. All viscera shall be examined as they are removed from
the carcase, or in such circumstances as will ensure that they are
the viscera of a particular carcase. Every organ and the associated
lymph glands shall be examined by the eye and by palpation.
When any abnormal condition is observed, the nature and significance
of which cannot be determined, the organ or gland shall be
incised. The efficient examination of lymph glands shall be by
multiple incisions into their substance.
The carcase shall be examined for condition of nutrition,
evidence of bruising, dropsy, efficiency of bleeding, and swellings
or deformities. The pleura and peritoneum shall be examined in
every case, and in no case shall they be removed nor shall any
evidence of disease be modified or obliterated by washing, rubbing,
stripping, or in any other manner before examination.
This examination is presumed to be carried out on about
460 carcases in 2¼ hours. The whole inspection is, of course,
totally inadequate ; it might be said to be non-existent.