The classification of pig and bovine carcasses in the Czech Republic

A uniform system for the classification of pig and bovine carcasses has been used in the member states of the European Union (EU) since the 1980s. Besides the grading of carcasses in accordance with the prescribed scale, this system also aims at specifying the reference presentations of carcasses for individual species including corrective factors for presentations which differ from the reference one. The system also sets out the requirements for marking carcasses with information related to this classification. In the Czech Republic (CR), this system of the compulsory classification for the carcasses of pigs and cattle was introduced concurrently with the country’s accession to the EU. The main objective of this uniform carcass classification system is to increase market transparency and to establish a mechanism for recording prices and applying public intervention measures in individual sectors. An additional and yet very important role of the system in practice is to facilitate the supply of meat of a standardized and satisfactory quality to the market. By law, data collected from the classification of animal carcasses are intended for the operator of the abattoir, who must store and present them to the supplier of the animals as well as to the Central Registry of Animals. In aggregate form, such data can be used to analyse the evolution of the parameters of the carcasses of animals slaughtered in the CR.