Farmers, hauliers and processors all have a role to play in reducing the risk of food contamination following the transport of livestock.
It is important to minimise the food safety risk associated with soiling of fleeces with faecal material.
Good hygiene during sheep transport is important to food safety. Cleanliness of the transport vehicle is important to avoid cross-contamination from previous loads and/or from chemical cleaning agents.
Unsuitable conditions during transport may result in lambs being downgraded in the factory to a lower cleanliness category and costing the farmer money.
Harmful bacteria such as E. coli 0157, Salmonella and Campylobacter can live in sheep faecal matter. If contamination goes unnoticed it can cause sever, even fatal disease in humans.
Clean sheep at slaughter minimises the risk to human health, contributes to the production of safe meat, and improves the shelf life of product produced.
Wet fleeces can increase the spread of harmful bacteria onto the carcase. Harmful bacteria can spread from dirty bedding in a dirty housing environment.
We all have a part to play in producing a safe, quality product.
Harmful bacteria found on dirty fleeces such as Clostridium estertheticum and Clostridium gasigenes can be easily transferred to the carcase. These bacteria can easily cause food spoilage costing millions of euro.