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<p>The pilot study examined 'outdoor pigs' which had been reared in non-controlled housing conditions at least since weaning. It aimed to establish the frequency and type of findings that could be expected when using visual-only inspection versus traditional inspection methods.</p>
<p>The effects on contamination levels, as a result of the handling of carcasses, were also investigated. The trial was designed so that all carcases were inspected or re-inspected according to current regulatory requirements, so they could be put on the market without risk.</p>
<p>Microbiological sampling for enterobacteriaceae, salmonella and yersinia were applied to identify differences in the risk of using traditional inspection methods for carcasses, compared to visual-only inspection.</p>
<p>The findings were used to identify any issues which may prevent the implementation of a risk based visual-only inspection system. Appropriate adaptations to overcome these problems, such as different dressing procedures or food chain information (FCI) requirements, were considered.</p>
<p>A qualitative risk assessment, on the impact of the implementation of visual-only inspection for outdoor pigs and its consequence on public health, animal health and welfare, was drawn up. </p>
<p>Background: A previous study funded by the Agency compared post mortem inspection (PMI) findings of ‘outdoor’ and ‘indoor’ fattening pigs, using a qualitative risk assessment approach (see project MC1002: Comparison of post-mortem inspection findings of outdoor and indoor fattening pigs: a qualitative risk assessment approach). The results suggested that moving to visual-only post mortem inspection for 'outdoor pigs' would not pose an increased risk to public health, animal health and welfare.</p>
<p>Traditional PMI includes palpation and incision which can potentially increase the risk of contamination, while visual-only PMI reduces handling of the carcass. This study focused on whether visual PMI of 'outdoor pigs' presents a significant risk above that accepted for 'indoor pigs' based on the current provisions in the regulations. </p>