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Provision is made in the Regulations for local authorities
to make a charge for the inspection within the scale of charges
prescribed by the Regulations. The permitted charge should not
exceed 2/6d. per horse or bovine animal, 9d. per calf or pig, and
6d. per sheep, lamb or goat.
The Council decided to charge the maximum rates having regard
to the cost of meat inspection to the Council.
The downward trend of the incidence of Tuberculosis in cattle,
calves, and pigs has been maintained during 1963.
For the second year in succession no whole carcases of beef,
veal, or pork were condemned for this disease.
There were, however, 48 whole carcases of veal, lamb and pork
condemned for other reasons which rendered the meat unfit for human
consumption.
Pneumonia in pigs and parasitic infestations of various kinds,
particularly liver fluke in cattle and oscarides in pigs, were
responsible for large amounts of offal being condemned. More than
2,000 bovine livers were condemned for liver fluke infestation
during the year.
Arthritis in pigs is also still very prevalent, and many joints
have to be condemned because of this condition.
There was a noticeable decline in the number of cases of
Cysticercosis identified in cattle during the year, being nearly a
third less than the previous year, when fewer cattle were slaughtered.
The export of pig carcase meat from the Royal Arsenal Co-operative
Society's slaughterhouse at Garland Road, Plumstead, was the main trading
feature of the year. Between June and December a thousand hogs and sows,
representing a hundred tons of carcase meat, were slaughtered for export
to France. Legs of pork from selected hogs were also the subject of
export to the European Continent. All carcase meat slaughtered for
export to the European Continent (except for Belgium) must be inspected
by a Veterinary Surgeon specially delegated by the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Food for this purpose. I am happy to report that the most
cordial relations are maintained between the Council's Public Health
Inspectors and the Ministry's Veterinary Surgeons.
The total number of animals slaughtered and inspected during the
year at the Garland Road slaughterhouse was 64,171. Details are as
follows:-
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