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Authorised Officers, Occupiers of Slaughterhouses and Slaughtermen", and
has no legal backing, although it may be hoped that Magistrates' and other
Courts will accept the memorandum as a standard.
It was issued, together with an accompanying circular, early in
December, 1952.
Taken as a whole there appears to be nothing reactionary in the recommendations.
A little more advice is given concerning animals to be
slaughtered for emergency reasons, one of the recommendations being that
such animals should be kept apart from others and organs, carcase, etc.,
be detained in order to have a bacteriological examination made.
Concerning undressed carcases, it is now recommended (a) that no
such carcases should be admitted to a slaughterhouse unless accompanied
by certificate of a veterinary surgeon stating the reason for the slaughter
of the animal and giving particulars of any drugs administered to the live
which might affect the carcase, and (b) that the carcase, with or
without the organs, etc., be accompanied by a certificate given by an
authorised officer certifying that the carcase, etc., has been inspected and
passed as fit for human consumption. Such recommendations will be helpful
to inspectors carrying out meat inspection at abbatoirs or slaughterhouses.
Very good recommendations are made concerning knives and wiping
cloths it being suggested that a sufficient number of knives be made
available to ensure that replacement is made after being in contact with
lesinons of disease, when they should be cleansed and sterilised before being
used again. Wiping cloths should be sterilised after contact with disease,
or destroyed; in any case both knives and cloths should be sterilised at the
end of each day's work.
Generally speaking the memorandum is really a revision of Memorandum
62 Foods, with several additions, these being to meet recent developments
in meat inspection.
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