Specified risk material and its amounts removed from cattle carcasses

This paper considers the amount of specified risk material (SRM) that is produced during the slaughter of cattle and whose complete removal and non-hazardous disposal represents a fundamental step in ensuring the safety of the food and feed chain in relation to the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). SRM was obtained and weighed at two slaughter plants and data such as the age of the animal and its date of birth and breed was obtained from the integrated agricultural register. The cattle were divided into several categories, and the weight of total SRM and its individual parts were monitored in the given categories of cattle in dependence on the age and sex of the animals. It was found that the largest amounts of SRM arise in the category of cows above the age of 30 months, followed by bulls aged between 12 and 30 months, heifers in the same age range, and then young cattle less than 12 months of age. A correlation was demonstrated between the amount of certain types of SRM and the age of the animals. There are significant differences in the weights of the individual parts of the SRM in animals in the same category and of similar age.