The Government, through the
Public Abattoir, provides livestock breeders with a 24x7 on-farm emergency
slaughtering service for instances where an unforeseen, on farm malady to one
or more farm animals results in a state that calls for immediate action by an
official Government Veterinarian and slaughter of that animal by authorised
abattoir butchers.
The service is provided for large
farm animals for which slaughtering services is also provided by the Public
Abattoir, that is bovine, swine, small ruminants and equines (the latter
provided they are on farm and being reared for human consumption). The service
is provided in line with European and National legislation and the Government’s
animal welfare goals, to minimise the risk that ill/injured animals which are
not expected to recover suffer unnecessarily.
In case of an emergency, livestock
breeders are required to call the Emergency slaughtering Services line on a 24
x 7 basis. All calls are screened to ensure that the service being asked for is
actually related to on-farm emergency slaughter. Upon confirmation, an ‘Emergency
Response Team’ composed of an official Veterinarian as well as the on-call
butchers are dispatched to the indicated address.
On-site, the veterinarian carries
an ante-mortem inspection to determine a
prima facie, potential suitability for human consumption. Carcases not deemed
so suitable are stunned, slaughtered and condemned with the carcase being taken
to the waste thermal treatment facility by the livestock breeder. Carcases
considered which may be suitable for human consumption are stunned and
slaughtered on site following stringent animal welfare and hygiene standards.
Following some initial dressing, such as the removal of the offal, carcases are
transported from the farm in question to the Public Abattoir where a
post-mortem inspection and other applicable laboratory tests are carried out to
confirm suitability for human consumption.