This document provides information about ante-mortem and post-mortem meat inspection. Ante-mortem inspection involves examining live animals before slaughter to screen for diseases. It aims to identify sick animals and ensure humane treatment. Post-mortem inspection examines carcasses, organs and blood after slaughter under adequate lighting to detect abnormalities and ensure only fit meat is passed for consumption. Both inspections aim to produce wholesome meat in a hygienic manner.

1. ANTEMORTEM AND
POSTMORTEM MEAT
INSPECTION
1
PRESENTED BY-
DR. ANIMESH KUMAR MISHRA

2. Reason for Meat
Inspection
To produce wholesome meat
To assure humane slaughter
To produce meat with hygienic
handling and its proper disposal.

3.  Ante-mortem means “before death”
 Inspection of live animals & birds prior to being slaughtered
 All livestock presented for slaughter must receive ante-
mortem inspection
“Professional examination of the live animal before slaughter by a
qualified veterinarian”
Ante-mortem inspection

4.  This inspection is performed by a veterinarian or by a meat
Inspector under veterinary supervision
 Ante mortem examination should be done within 24 hours of
slaughter and repeated if slaughter has been delayed by over
a day

6.  To screen all animals destined to slaughter
 To separate diseased & suspected animals for further
detailed examination
 To ensure that animals are properly rested & that proper
clinical disease diagnosis & judgment, is obtained
 To reduce contamination on the killing floor by separating
the dirty animals and condemning the diseased animals if
required by regulation
Major objectives

7.  To identify reportable animal diseases and to identify sick
animals and those treated with antibiotics,
chemotherapeutic agents, insecticides and pesticides
 To make P.M.E. more efficient, accurate, less laborious
 To detect diseases, whose identification difficult during
P.M.E.
 To ensure that injured animals or those with pain and
suffering receive emergency slaughter and that animals are
treated humanely
Major objectives Cont….

8. A/M inspection card
 Owner's name
 The number of animals in the lot & arrival time
 Species & sex of the animal
 The time & date of ante mortem inspection
 Clinical signs & body temperature if relevant
 Reason why the animal was held
 Signature of inspector

9. 1. Identification of animal & collection of details regarding
place of purchase and origin
2. Animal to be inspected both in rest & in motion on both
the sides
3. Examined preferably in daylight
Procedure for AMI

10. Facilities required
 Lairage
 Identification of live animals
 Isolation pen
 Assistant staff

11. Abnormalities
 Respiration
 Behavior
 Gait
 Posture
 Structure and conformation
 Discharges or protrusions from body openings
 Color
 Odour
 Temperature

12. Abnormalities in respiration
 Commonly refer to frequency of respiration
 If the breathing pattern is different from normal the
animal should be segregated as a Suspect
 C/B/S/G; predominantly abdominal
rarely costo-abdominal
eg: roaring, snoring,

13.  Animal is associated with pain in the legs, chest or
abdomen or is an indication of nervous disease
 Slow wobble gait: septicemia diseases
 Walking in circles: coenurosis, listeriosis ,
 Stiff gait: traumatic pericarditis
Abnormal gait

14. Abnormal posture
 Tucked up abdomen or the animal may stand with an
extended head and stretched out feet
 The animal may also be laying and have its head turned
along its side. When it is unable to rise, it is often called a
“downer”
 Cow sits on the flank and head rests on the flank: milk fever
 Frog like posture :obturator paralysis and bilateral dysplasia
 Kicking at the belly: acute pain

15. Abnormalities in behavior
 Walking in circles or show an abnormal gait or posture
 Pushing its head against the wall
 Charging at various objects and acting aggressively
 Showing a dull and anxious expression in the eyes

16. Abnormal Appearance
 Healthy animals:
glossy with smooth
hair coat good
indicator : level of
hydration
 Skin lesions,
bruising and tear
 Emaciation and
cachexia
 Rough and
starring hairs

17. Abnormalities in structure (conformation)
 Swellings (abscesses) seen commonly in swine
 Enlarged joints
 Umbilical swelling (hernia or omphalo phlebitis)
 Enlarged sensitive udder indicative of mastitis
 Enlarged jaw (“lumpy jaw”)
 Bloated abdomen

18. Abnormal discharges or protrusions
 Discharges from the nose, excessive salivation: FMD, RP,
 Ocular discharge : blue tongue, BVD ,MD,
 Protruding from the rectum (prolapsed rectum) or
uterus
 Protruding from the vagina (prolapsed uterus)
 Growths on the eye and bloody diarrhea

19. Temperature

20. Rise in temp – first indicator of communicable disease
Moribund animals – subnormal temp
Sheep – greatest daily fluctuation of temp
Pigs - >41°C
Cattle, sheep - > 40.5°C
to be isolated until
temp falls or disease
diagnosis is estab.
Abnormalities in temperature

21. Abnormal colour
 Black areas on horses and swine
 Red areas on light colored skin (inflammation)
 Dark blue areas on the skin or udder (gangrene)

22. Abnormal odour
 Odour of an abscess: medicinal odour
 Ketosis: stinkweed odour or acetone odour
 Putrid bronchitis: putrefactive odour

23. Ante-mortem Decisions
 FIT for slaughter
 Suspect/detained
 Delayed/postponed
 UNFIT for slaughter (Condemned)

24. Fit for slaughter
 Free from the diseases and conditions, fit for human food,
to be released for slaughter
Suspect
 Question whether the animal is affected by a disease or
condition described in the regulations.
 To segregate those animals with abnormal signs into the
suspect pen for further observation

25. Delayed slaughter
 Exhaustion
 Trasit fever
 Transport
Unfit for slaughter
 Immature animals
 Advanced pregnancy
 Recent parturition
 Infectious and contagious diseases
anthrax, rabies, BQ, FMD, Swine fever, tetanus, CLA,
white scours, calf diphtheria

26. Casualty slaughter
 When animals are suffering from such disease or injuries
which doesn't render the meat unsuitable for human
consumption, are being slaughtered.
 Affected with more chronic condition
 Obturator paralysis,
 Post partum paraplegia
 Benign superficial tumors
Not in acute pain or
immediate danger of
death

27. On firm decision has to take ( by veterinarian), whether
the animal is suitable for transport to nearby slaughter
house.
These animal must go through ante mortem inspection.
Slaughtered immediately on arrival.
Should be isolated from normal animal.

28. Emergency slaughter
Acute pain or suffering from a condition
Delay in slaughter contrary to animal welfare
Animal is healthy, but requires on-farm emergency
slaughter,
Ex. limb fracture, uncontrolled hemorrhage, injury causing
severe pain, or distress or functional or physiological
disorder
That animal may be humanely slaughtered on the farm to
save it from pain & the carcass transferred to abattoir
Animals affected with extensive bruising or fractures, Bloat,
uterine prolapse require emergency slaughter

29. Rules:
Undergone ante-mortem inspection.
The body of the animal has not been dressed.
Animal accompanied to the by a veterinary certificate.
Body of the animal should be transported to slaughter
house in hygienic condition, within one hour of the
slaughter
In slaughterhouse post mortem inspection is done to
confirm the oath in certificate.

30. Categories of animals for emergency slaughter
1.Alive but in moribund state:
 Carcass stiffens immediately after slaughter
 Judgment : total condemnation
 Blood smear : anthrax

31. Dead and uneviscerated
 Blood smear: anthrax
 Coldness in extremities & tympanitis in cattle ; death
has not been recent
 Carcass of dead animals:
unwholesome, liable to rapid decomposition and fit only
for inedible rendering

32. Dead and eviscerated
 Judgement is difficult
 Carcass surface has a white appearance
 Lack of proper setting
 Cattle; flexion of the forelimbs with a brownish red
coloration of flesh; slaughtered after a long illness

33. Judgement for carcass of emergency animal
 It does not show any evidence of disease
 Negative bacteriological test
 Sets and looks normal in every way
 Any sign of P.M. changes - condemned

34. Diseases and abnormalities
commonly observed during AMI
Cattle
 SUSPECT – Actinobacillosis, A. mycosis, Mastitis,
Ringworm & mange
 UNFIT - Rabies, FMD,RP, TB, Anthrax, BQ, Tetanus,
Acute Listeriosis, Fluorine & Selenium Poisoning,

35. Calves
 Immaturity – UNFIT
 Calf diphtheria - UNFIT
 Ringworm - SUSPECT
 White scours - UNFIT
contd…

36. Sheep
 Sheep scab - UNFIT
 FMD – UNFIT
 Caseous lymphadenitis
 Generalized – UNFIT
 Localized - SUSPECT
 Gid - UNFIT
 Enterotoxaemia - UNFIT
contd…

37. Swine
 Swine erysipelas -SUSPECT
 Atrophic rhinitis - SUSPECT
 Gut edema – SUSPECT
 Hog cholera - UNFIT
 Rabies - UNFIT
 Actinomycosis of the udder - SUSPECT
 Salmonellosis - UNFIT

38. Poultry
 Ornithosis – UNFIT
 Ranikhet disease - UNFIT
 CRD - SUSPECT
 IB – UNFIT (advanced stages)
 ILT - UNFIT (advanced stages)
 Infectious coryza - UNFIT (acute stages)
 Coccidiosis - UNFIT

39. POST MORTEM
EXAMINATION

40.  PM inspection is defined as
examination of dressed carcass, their
organs including blood immediately
after slaughter to produce wholesome
meat, in a hygienic manner under
adequate amount of light by a
qualified meat inspector.

41.  There should be sufficient time and
light for inspection after slaughter.
 The animal is bled, skinned, the feet
removed, the carcass is hauled up, off
the ground and eviscerated with
organs being examined by veterinarian
 When inspecting the organ, associated
lymph nodes are also checked

43. Oesophagostomiasis.
Parasitic nodules on the
intestinal mucosa in a
young bovine animal
Numerous flukes of Fasciola
hepatica observed in the bile
ducts and liver parenchyma
of a cow

44. Caseous cysticercus.
Numerous clear transparent
cysts on the heart surface.
0.6 mm in diameter in the
heart muscle
Hydatid cysts in bovine liver

45. Jaundice of an aged cow
caused by liver disease. Note
yellow discoloration of body
fat, lungs, heart and kidney
Fractured bone and muscle
haemorrhage in a market hog

46.  PM inspection should be done as early
as possible if delayed, particularly in
beef and pork carcasses, which set
rapidly the examination of the carcass
lymph nodes is more difficult.
 The main purpose of PM examination is
to detect and eliminate abnormalities
thus ensuring that only meat fit for
human consumption is passed for food.

47.  Well distributed lighting of at least
540-lux units (50-foot candles) in
intensity.
 Structural and mechanical facilities to
enable carcasses to be delivered in a
satisfactory manner.
 Sterilizers for the complete immersion
of knives, saws, cleavers, etc., are
essential.

48. Post-mortem inspection of a
beef carcass
 Head
 Lungs
 Heart
 Liver
 Stomach and intestines
 Spleen
 Uterus
 Udder

49. Post-mortem inspection of
calves
 Abomasum:peptic ulcers
 Small intestines for evidence of
dysentery
 Portal lymph nodes congenital TB
 Umbilicus and joints: septic
omphalophlebitis.
 The lungs, kidney and spinal cord are
to be examined for melanotic
deposits.

50. Post-mortem inspection of
sheep and goats
 Less detailed inspection than calves
and pigs.
 Lungs: parasitic infections especially
hydatid cysts or nematodes
 Liver: fascioliasis
 Knee and stifle joints for arthritis.
 Fractured ribs and septic pleurisy may
often be encountered.

51. Post-mortem inspection of pigs
 Skin: swine erysipelas, swine fever,
urticaria and for ‘shotty eruption’.
 Tail-necrosis, feet-abscess and udder
for mastitis or actinomycosis.
 Liver
 Kidney

52. THANK
YOU