Carcase Classification - Pigs

All abattoirs slaughtering more than 200 pigs a week are required under EU rules to classify pig carcases. The basic functions of the grading scheme are to;

• Make price quotations comparable throughout all EU member states,
• Enable accurate monitoring of the market situation,
• Enable producers to be rewarded for producing carcases that the market requires, and
• Establish an average price for pig carcases for reference price calculations.

Identification

It is a requirement of the Pigs (Records, Identification and Movement) Order 2003 that all pigs going to slaughter be identified with a Defra allocated herd mark which must be legible before and after slaughter. This is to allow clear identification of pigs and carcases at slaughter to provide traceability. It is the responsibility of the pig keeper to ensure that every pig being despatched for slaughter has been clearly and correctly marked. For clean pigs and young boars this is usually applied through slap mark tattoo on both shoulders.

Dressing Specification

There are two methods of pig carcase dressing in the UK; the EC (sometimes referred to as EU) method, which involves the removal of the tongue, flare fat, kidneys and diaphragm. The second method is known as the UK method which involves retaining these. For price reporting purposes, where the UK method is used, co-efficients are used to bring it in-line with the EC method.

Grading

Pig carcases are graded at the time of weighing (normally within 45 minutes of slaughter); according to their estimated lean meat content.

An EU grade can then be allocated to a carcase by using the lean meat percentage figure below:

Any pigs that are identified with carcase faults, such as being scraggy, deformed, blemished, pigmented, coarse skinned, with soft fat or pale muscle or devalued by being partially condemned are recorded as Z on the carcase classification documents.

There are a number of methods of physical measurement that are approved by the EU and in the UK. However, in recent years much of the industry has tended to adopt the single P2 probe as a more straightforward method of physical measurement.

The P2 probe involves a technique of manually inserting a probe to measure back fat and rind thickness. The probe is positioned 6.5cm from the dorsal mid line, level with the head of the last rib.

The cold carcase weight and fat depths recorded are then used to estimate the lean meat percentage.

Traditionally pigs have been finished to meet one of three market types: