Assessment of the impact of omitting palpation of the lungs and the liver at meat inspection

Abstract

<p>Meat inspection of finisher pigs is gradually moving from traditional inspection involving palpation and incision to a more visual inspection. However, what do we miss if we no longer palpate and incise? This is addressed in this paper which focuses specifically on palpation of the lungs and the liver. A risk assessment following international guidelines was undertaken. The assessment shows that omission of these routine palpations on finisher pigs from controlled housing (i.e. herds with high biosecurity) will have no significant impact on food safety. The reasoning for reaching these conclusions is presented in the following.</p>