[Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Shrewsbury Borough.

  • Shrewsbury (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1965
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1965] / Medical Officer of Health, Shrewsbury Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    41/56 (page 37)
    PUBLIC ABATTOIR The Superintendent, Mr. W. G. Hunter, has provided the following report for the year 1965 :— Certain alterations and additions, including isolation lairages, were provided early in the year and an Export Licence was duly granted. An increasing proportion of the throughput during the year consisted of carcases specially killed and dressed for export. This specialization has brought more trade, not to mention prestige, to the Abattoir and it would seem likely that a flourishing export trade may be obtained in the future. Cattle figures are down in number and reflect the downward trend in cattle production and in the live cattle population of the country. It is to be hoped that an upward trend will soon show, which will, we hope, be to our advantage. The throughput of sheep and lambs and of pigs shows an increase. The Abattoir may take several years to settle down to a pattern of meat production which is hygienic, reliable and financially dependable. Modern abattoirs are clean and are kept clean by a staff who have to look clean, being dressed in clean overalls supplied by the employer. The old days of dirty looking men working in filthy, dark and smelly premises have gone. Status has changed but not so the wages, which are amongst the lowest in adult employment. It is therefore difficult to obtain and retain the right type of staff, especially in areas where unemployment is negligible. During the winter sickness affected the staff, and keeping the cleanliness of the abattoir up to standard and coping with a fair throughput meant hard work, much of which was overtime for all concerned. The need for modern and clean abattoirs coupled with the importance of proper meat inspection facilities and standards has prompted the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to step up the supervision and advice given to Local Authorities by their officers. This means more regular visits from the Ministry to make sure that certain standards are maintained, and that the Meat Inspection Regulations are adhered to. It will almost certainly mean additions to the present staff of meat inspectors to comply with the regulations and maintain standards of hygiene. It is indeed envisaged that a detention officer will be trained in the near future to assist the Public Health Inspectors in the maintenance of 100% meat inspec¬ tion. It is hoped that the Meat and Livestock Commission will, when set up, introduce moderate concentration of abattoirs, thereby allowing not only more standardization of method and charging, but more efficient supervision and meat inspection by specialized staff. Abattoirs would also be more likely to pay their way by working to an optimum capacity.