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53
The recommendation regarding clean Briskets is conditional on the
Brisket being boned and sliced under the control and supervision of the
Inspecting Officer, who should, if necessary, be empowered to fix the
hours for the handling of all Briskets.
It may not be out of place to indicate our opinion that there is no
difficulty with proper inspection in removing all nodules from the finely
sliced Briskets. It may also be pointed out with regard to the worm
nests that though they may be confused with tubercular lesions by
inexperienced Inspectors, they are of much less importance, as they are
mainly objectionable owing to their unsightliness. There would, in our
opinion, be no danger to man from their presence in meat.
(Signed) J. A. Gilruth.
J. Douglas Stewart.
W. Perrin Norris.
It may be true that there is no danger to man from the presence of these
parasites in meat, but I feel very strongly that only perfectly sound meat,
free from any disease or parasite, should be sold for human consumption, and
I hope the Colonial Authorities, if only in the interest of their meat trade,
will decide that none of these flanks and briskets shall be sent to this country
in any shape or form for human food.
The presence of the parasite in Australian beef has been known for 18 years
under the name of "worm nests" or "worm kernels," Dr. Gibson, of New
South Wales, having described them in 1892 ; and it had been the practice of
these nodules to be removed by the butchers when dressing the carcass,
probably only those on the surface would be noticed and removed, which
would account for the time which elapsed before it was found in the meat on
its arrival in this country.
It has not been the practice to cut up quarters of beef without reason or
suspicion, as it would have meant considerable loss to the importer had the
results of the examination not justified the procedure.
DISEASED OX-LIVERS.
In my Report for the year 1909, reference was made to large numbers of
ox-livers which had been found, on examination, to be diseased.
During the past year the total number of diseased ox-livers found was only*
1,389, and of these 846 came from the Argentine Republic and 543 from
Australia.