2. Materials and methods
2.1. Survey of cattle
Three abattoirs within the South-West of England,
dealing with beef cattle, were sampled once each, within
the months of July–August. At each sampling visit, 30
randomly selected beef cattle (grass-fed, average slaughter
weight 500 kg) were sampled from the rump, flank
and brisket areas, immediately after bleeding out but
prior to de-hiding, using a one-pass swab technique.