Bioreduction of Sheep Carcasses Effectively Contains
and Reduces Pathogen Levels under Operational and Simulated Breakdown
Conditions
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Abstract
Options
for the storage and disposal of animal carcasses are extremely
limited in the EU after the introduction of the EU Animal By-products
Regulations (ABPR; EC/1774/2002), leading to animosity within the
livestock sector and the call for alternative methods to be validated.
Novel storage technologies such as bioreduction may be approved under
the ABPR provided that they can be shown to prevent pathogen proliferation.
We studied the survival of <i>Enterococcus faecalis</i>, <i>Salmonella</i> spp., <i>E. coli</i> O157 and porcine
parvovirus in bioreduction vessels containing sheep carcasses for
approximately 4 months. The vessels were operated under two different
scenarios: (A) where the water within was aerated and heated to 40
°C, and (B) with no aeration or heating, to simulate vessel failure.
Microbial analysis verified that pathogens were contained within the
bioreduction vessel and indeed reduced in numbers with time under
both scenarios. This study shows that bioreduction can provide an
effective and safe on-farm storage system for livestock carcasses
prior to ultimate disposal. The findings support a review of the current
regulatory framework so that bioreduction is considered for approval
for industry use within the EU