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Cleaner Cattle and Sheep for Consumer Safety

When working on a dairy or cattle farm, where the end product is to be sold to the consumer market, it is vital that you have a clear vision and set of protocols that relate to hygiene and cleanliness on the farm as a whole. Finding a supplier of cattle and sheep products that help you to implement a clear process of cleanliness and hygiene right from the birth of an animal through to consumer consumption will help you to create an environment that is to the highest standards possible. Over time this will lead to greater profits for the farm, as good animal health leads to a greater quality end product.

There are a few different areas of policy and implementation of regulations that you should be aware of if you have a farm that houses cattle and sheep.

The Clean Livestock Policy was created in 1997 in response to an outbreak of E.Coli in Scotland in 1996, and its aim is to ensure there is a consistent approach to the categorisation of animals presented for slaughter. It helps to minimise the risk of food poisoning, which can be caused by the presence of bacteria on dirty coats and fleeces of cattle and sheep. Animals should be inspected at the slaughterhouse to ensure they are fully clean before slaughter commences. Any slaughterhouse found to be unfit for purpose must be thoroughly cleaned before it is allowed to slaughter animals for human consumption.

Five categories of animal have been created, with only those identified as being within category one and two being allowed to go through the slaughter process with a view to human consumption. The first two categories include clean and dry animals, slightly dirty, dry or damp.

In 2006, the EU Food Hygiene Regulations added another layer of protection to the consumer, with the production of safe food becoming the responsibility of the food business operator. They are required to implement appropriate controls to demonstrate that the entire food chain and process from a farm that houses cattle and sheep is being managed effectively.

It is so important that cattle is clean, as livestock may carry pathogens, with bacteria being carried on coats, in the digestive tracts of animals, and in the faeces of healthy animals. Regulations such as The Clean Livestock Policy has ensured that standards have increased across the board, from the way animals are dealt with from birth, to the way animals are transported, cleaned, fed and watered, and the diet and cleanliness in the period prior to slaughter.

If you are working with livestock, and selling to the consumer marketplace it is important that you have stringent protocols for clean cattle and sheep. Consumer safety must always be at the forefront of your mind when running a farm of this nature, and you should find a supplier that you can trust to deliver the goods in terms of cleanliness and farm hygiene. With dairy farms there is a real need to reduce bactoscan and somatic cell counts, with a range of cattle and sheep products helping you to look after hoof care, to use the right type of disinfectants and improve the performance and profitability of your farm through a careful process of ensuring cattle and sheep hygiene and good standards of health.