The National Beef Quality Audit-2005 assessed the current status of quality and consistency of US fed steers and heifers. Hide colors or breed type were black (56.3%), red (18.6%), Holstein (7.9%), gray (6.0%), yellow (4.9%), brown (3.0%), white (2.3%), and brindle (1.0%). Identification method and frequency were lot visual tags (63.2%), individual visual tags (38.7%), metal-clip tags (11.8%), electronic tags (3.5%), bar-coded tags (0.3%), by other means (2.5%), and without identification (9.7%). Brand frequencies were no (61.3%), 1 (35.1%), and 2 or more (3.6%), and brands were located on the butt (26.5%), side (7.4%), and shoulder (1.2%). There were 22.3% of cattle without horns, and the majority of those with horns (52.2%) were between 2.54 and 12.7 cm in length. Percentages of animals with mud or manure on specific body locations were none (25.8%), legs (61.4%), belly (55.9%), side (22.6%), and top-line (10.0%). Permanent incisor number and occurrence were zero (82.2%), 1 (5.2%), 2 (9.9%), 3 (0.4%), 4 (1.2%), 5 (0.1%), 6 (0.3%), 7 (0.0%), and 8 (0.7%). Most carcasses (64.8%) were not bruised, 25.8% had one bruise, and 9.4% had multiple bruises. Bruise location and incidence were round (10.6%), loin (32.6%), rib (19.5%), chuck (27.0%), and brisket, flank, and plate (10.3%). Condemnation item and incidence were liver (24.7%), lungs (11.5%), tripe (11.6%), heads (6.0%), tongues (9.7%), and carcasses (0.0%). Carcass evaluation revealed these traits and frequencies: steer (63.7%), heifer (36.2%), bullock (0.05%), and cow (0.04%) sex classes; dark-cutters (1.9%); A (97.1%), B (1.7%), and C or older (1.2%) overall maturities; and native (90.9%), dairy-type (8.3%), and Bos indicus (0.8%) estimated breed types. Mean USDA yield grade (YG) traits were USDA YG (2.9), HCW (359.9 kg), adjusted fat thickness (1.3 cm), LM area (86.4 cm(2)), and KPH (2.3%). The USDA YG were YG 1 (16.5%), YG 2 (36.3%), YG 3 (33.1%), YG 4 (11.8%), and YG 5 (2.3%). Mean USDA quality grade traits were USDA quality grade (Select(90)), marbling score (Small(32)), overall maturity (A(64)), lean maturity (A(57)), and skeletal maturity (A(68)). Marbling score distribution was Slightly Abundant or greater (2.7%), Moderate (4.3%), Modest (14.4%), Small (34.5%), Slight (41.2%), and Traces or less (2.9%). This information helps the beef industry measure progress and provides a benchmark for future educational and research activities.

Study objectives were to determine zilpaterol residues in urine and tissues of sheep fed dietary zilpaterol HCl, at levels commensurate with feed contamination, using common and novel screening and quantitative analytical methods. Sheep (50.0 ± 2.7 kg) were offered feed (1.75 kg/d) containing 0.0075 (L), 0.075 (M), or 0.75 (H) mg kg −1 of zilpaterol for 12 days and were slaughtered with 0-day (L-0, M-0, H-0; n = 4 each) or 3-day (H-3; n = 4) withdrawal periods. Rapid immunochromatographic assays (ICA) consistently detected urinary zilpaterol (LOD = 1.7 ng mL −1) in L-0 (54.2%), M-0 (96.0%), and the H-0 (100%) treatment groups but only detected zilpaterol in tissues (LOD~2.4 ng g −1) from the H-0 group. Advanced MS-based technologies detected zilpaterol in some, but not all, tissues of M-0, H-0, L-0, and H-3 sheep. Analytical techniques commonly used to ensure compliance with show-animal rules, import/export guidelines, and regulatory statutes routinely detected residues in animals exposed to zilpaterol at doses insufficient to elicit growth responses.

No abstract

The removal of 18,345 specified risk materials was observed during audits of 18 U.S. beef processing facilities that, in total, account for over 90% of total U.S. beef slaughtered. Audited plants varied in capacity (280 to 6,000 head per day) and processed both "fed (young cattle)" and "nonfed (mature cows/bulls)" cattle. When all observations for removal of specified risk materials were combined from plants and adjusted for type of cattle processed, overall compliance with specified risk material removal regulations was 98.08%. A 100% compliance rate for removal of brains and distal ileums was recorded based on a total of 600 observations for removal of brains and a total of 2,400 observations for removal of distal ileums. Observations for removal of dorsal root ganglia were collected from 16 of the 18 plants, and overall compliance for dorsal root ganglia removal was 99.6% (4,783 of 4,800). Fifteen of the 16 plants were 100% compliant. For tonsils, data from 18 plants were collected, and tonsils were correctly removed from 92.8% (4,777 of 5,145) of tongues and heads. Data for spinal cord removal were collected from 18 plants, and the spinal cord was removed completely in line with U.S. Department of Agriculture-Food Safety and Inspection Service regulations for 99.43% of the observations. Based on the results of this study, packing plants have demonstrated that they are complying with regulations for removal of specified risk materials from beef meat products intended for human consumption greater than 98% of the time. To continue to assure food safety and consumer confidence, continued vigilance and provision of training programs for plant workers are essential.

Our hypothesis was that administering Flunixin Meglumine (FM) to lambs that were either rubber ring castrated and docked (RR) or surgically castrated and emasculator docked (SC) would decrease swelling and wound appearance score. Rambouillet ram lambs (n = 181) were allocated in a completely randomized design in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments to determine the effects of RR or SC and emasculator docking on ram lambs with administration of FM (2.2 mg/kg of BW) or saline (S; 2.2 mg/kg of BW). Wounds were assessed on days 4 and 7 post-treatment. The Wound Assessment Scale ranged from 1 – 5 and was determined from levels of discharge, scabbing, and wound healing. The swelling score was also a 1 - 5 scale, varying from no swelling, large amounts, or healed. Scrotal wound exhibited a treatment x day interaction (P < 0.001), however tail wound score (P = 0.84) and scrotal swelling (P = 0.36) were not affected. The SC treated lambs had a higher wound score on day 4 and 7 when compared to the RR treated lambs for both the scrotum and tail score (P < 0.001). Flunixin Meglumine had no effect on wound score of the scrotum (P > 0.50) and tail (P > 0.43) for both RR and SC groups. However, RR treated lambs had higher swelling scores on day 4 and 7 (P < 0.001). Flunixin Meglumine administration did not influence swelling score in treated lambs (P > 0.43). Surgical castration resulted in an increase in wound score compared to rubber ring castrated and docked lambs, but rubber ring castrated and docked lambs had an increase in wound swelling. Flunixin Meglumine did not have an impact on either wound score or wound swelling, regardless of castration method.