Meat safety implications of the results
In the UK, all cattle are assessed for visible cleanliness
before slaughter using a 5-point scoring system
(Meat Hygiene Service), with lower scores (1–2) given to
visibly clean/dry animals and the higher scores (4–5)
given to excessively dirty (mud, faeces) and wet animals.
The later groups are banned for slaughter as they are
considered to pose a high risk of carcass contamination
during dressing. In spite of the fact that all animals included
in the current study were considered as reasonably
‘‘visibly clean’’ (scores 1–2), their hides were very
frequently contaminated with pathogens, particularly E.
coli O157.