According to the Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3220/1984, pig carcass
classification activity became mandatory in all European Union
(EU) member states, starting the 1st of January 1985. The purpose of
the animal classification is “to perform a unitary, qualified animal carcass
quality evaluation; tomark the carcasses for commercial purposes;
to solve the payment problems among producers and buyers and to encourage
animal breeders to breed more productive (muscular) animals,
according to the needs and trends on the consumers' market” (Savescu
& Rotaru, 2014). Nowadays, it is compulsory for all slaughterhouses to
weigh the carcasses as soon as possible after the slaughter and to assess
the lean meat content in each carcass by means of authorized grading
methods. Carcasses are then divided into classes according to their estimated
lean-meat content and identified by markings in accordance
with the Community scale (Table 1).
Pig classification is based on an objective estimation of the lean
meat content of the carcass, using approved classification methods,
devices and software, in accordance with the EU legislation. At the
end of slaughter lines, a set of physical measurements of one or
more anatomical parts of the carcass are taken at well-defined
sites, using a classification device (or a ruler, in very few accepted
cases). These measurements are then used in prediction equations