Food Safety Interventions Information
Click on the links below to access information on interventions available at each stage of the meat production process
| Contents Page | Introduction to Interventions | On Farm | Processing - hide on | Processing - hide off | Chilling | Packaging or Retail |
On Farm Food Safety Interventions
The farm or feedlot is the origin of micro-organisms introduced onto carcasses during slaughter and dressing. During rearing, numerous factors interact to affect the visual cleanliness and pathogen shedding characteristics of livestock. Age, coat length, clipping, journey time, feeding and abattoir have been found to influence coat cleanliness, while in Britain sex, breed, transport vehicle floor type, transport vehicle dirtiness and housing prior to transport were not significantly related to visual cleanliness of cattle. A lot of interest has been taken in the effects of modifying the diet or feeding probiotics to animals to reduce shedding of pathogens such as E. coli O157, but results are conflicting, probably because of the complexity of the interactions between all the factors involved.
Download more information on On Farm Food Safety Strategies 
| INTERVENTION SUMMARY | |
|---|---|
Location |
Farm and feedlot |
Intervention Type |
Diet manipulation or vaccination |
Treatment Time |
Months |
Regulations |
Manipulation of feed ingredients approved Use of vaccines, supplements, additives and probiotics require approval by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) |
Effectiveness |
Variable |
Likely Cost |
Variable |
Value for Money |
Difficult to ascertian at persent |
Plant or Process Changes |
Any changes would occur on the farm or feedlot Animal handling facilities would be required to administer some treatments |
Environmental Impact |
Few changes in environmental impact envisaged |
Occupational Health and Safety |
Handling of animals involves a certain amount of risk Animal treatments and feed additives may have specific handling and storage requirements |
Advantages |
It may be possible to reduce or prevent shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in animal faeces |
Disadvantages or Limitations |
No scientific consensus on efficacy Supplements and vaccines not yet commercially available Persistence of residues in meat is not known |
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