Assessment of the biosecurity and slaughter practises in selected European abattoirs with a focus on the control of Salmonella and hepatitis E virus contamination

The zoonotic pathogens Salmonella and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are frequently found in domestic pigs. The consumption of contaminated pig meat products is one of the most common routes of such infections in humans. Accordingly, it is important for abattoirs to implement adequate biosecurity and slaughter practices (BSPs) to control these microorganisms during production. However, checklists that abattoir staff or officials can use to assess whether BSPs are being implemented are not freely available. In the current study, which was conducted under the Biosecurity Practices for Pig Farming across Europe (BIOPIGEE) project as part of the European Joint Programme under Horizon 2020, we developed a questionnaire based on research published in recent decades and conducted an online survey of European abattoirs to determine which BSPs were being implemented to avoid pig carcass contamination with Salmonella and HEV. We received and analysed a total of 32 responses from Austria (3), Czechia (10), Estonia (2), Germany (6), Italy (5), the Netherlands (2), and the UK (4). The results revealed that most of the abattoirs adhered to well-established practices, such as hygienic evisceration, scalding, and controlled singeing. Nevertheless, notable gaps were identified. The small abattoirs reported the less consistent use of effective scalding procedures and relied more frequently on the manual removal of visible carcass contamination, whereas in the large abattoirs, standardised trimming or hot water washing was applied more often. These differences highlight the areas where targeted interventions, particularly improved cleaning methods for visibly contaminated carcasses, could substantially reduce the risk of Salmonella contamination. The results of this study could help abattoirs benchmark their current BSPs against those of their peers. Additionally, the questionnaire developed for this study may provide a useful checklist of practices and ideas to enhance BSP implementation.