Deer box

[tom]

Morning ,
Just seen the latest Mike Robinson deer box video on you tube ,
Interested to know what the vet is inspecting after the carcass has been skinned and hanging in the chiller for several days/weeks ?
They then apparently stamp it ?
What can a vet tell from that carcass????
Thoughts ?

 

[Pard 007]

I'm no expert but guessing it's the same process for another carcase lamb etc. But was a good video & setup

 

[paulbshooting]

Yes agreed. Assume they just do a visual check of carcass and game tag. Love the Mike Robinson stalking YouTube videos. Everyone has their own way of stalking and gralloching plus calibre choice! But all that aside, good to watch and promotes the cause!

 

[Tim.243]

Morning ,
Just seen the latest Mike Robinson deer box video on you tube ,
Interested to know what the vet is inspecting after the carcass has been skinned and hanging in the chiller for several days/weeks ?
They then apparently stamp it ?
What can a vet tell from that carcass????
Thoughts ?

There is a process that has to be followed with all meat process.
I think at some point it was called White & Red meat inspectors but not sure if it has a different title these days.
Larry is the chap to shed light on it.
@South of the M4

 

[VSS]

If my understanding is correct, that inspection process and stamping isn't necessary for wild deer carcasses unless they're passing through a licenced cutting plant, which the Deer Box premises probably are.
The inspection and stamping would be necessary for farmed deer carcasses, which would normally be done at an abattoir.

 

[tom]

I’m still intrigued at what can be gained by a vet inspection On a carcass without the pluck ,head , skin etc ???
It’s basically a clean carcass that doesn’t tell anything??
Apart from
Body condition .

 

[Ruby Tuesday 2]

Seeing the average carcass at the dealers i would think they are looking more at contamination.

 

[DEHL1980]

the above is certainly the case in the beef industry. hygiene/meat inspectors would be on various points of a slaughter line inspecting different parts of the animal as it was processed i.e. the head, then the pluck and finally at the grading station, where the stamp was applied, the focus would have been more for physical contamination on the carcass. Perhaps what was observed on the film is an extension/result of this practice or habits.
Is that vet working on the basis that whoever processed the animal at earlier stages has already deemed it to be fit for consumption?

 

[South of the M4]

Morning ,
Just seen the latest Mike Robinson deer box video on you tube ,
Interested to know what the vet is inspecting after the carcass has been skinned and hanging in the chiller for several days/weeks ?
They then apparently stamp it ?
What can a vet tell from that carcass????
Thoughts ?

There is a process that has to be followed with all meat process.
I think at some point it was called White & Red meat inspectors but not sure if it has a different title these days.
Larry is the chap to shed light on it.
@South of the M4

At a licensed premises, a vet would have the hunters declaration on the tag as 'proof' the offal, both green and red, was free of damage and lesions - the trained hunter bit.
He would then be looking to ensure there was no contamination and that the chiller had been kept at the correct temperature in the (weeks?) before being skinned and presented.
He would be able to see, with the skin off, any asymmetry of the carcass, indicating bone, joint or muscle issues and could investigate further with a knife. Pleurisy, mastitis, kidney issues (if present), warble larvae to name a few things he could also see.
But I agree, the scope of the inspection without the pluck, green offal and head is limited.

 

[NickJ]

At a licensed premises, a vet would have the hunters declaration on the tag as 'proof' the offal, both green and red, was free of damage and lesions - the trained hunter bit.
He would then be looking to ensure there was no contamination and that the chiller had been kept at the correct temperature in the (weeks?) before being skinned and presented.
He would be able to see, with the skin off, any asymmetry of the carcass, indicating bone, joint or muscle issues and could investigate further with a knife. Pleurisy, mastitis, kidney issues (if present), warble larvae to name a few things he could also see.
But I agree, the scope of the inspection without the pluck, green offal and head is limited.

A good answer, I asked the same of a dealer a while back and he said that plus 'that the tag is filled out fully, we had the vet here the other day and the stalker hadn't put the date on one so had to condemn the lot' - it made me concentrate a bit more on filling the tag out..

 

[WarrenJB]

The vet is an FSA (Food standard agency) inspector. In this case of Deerbox, the animals are skinned the day prior to the Vet inspevtion, the vet asses (looks for) any abnormalities, contamination and inspection of paperwork relating to them. The stamp is a unique number to the facility/company exactly the same as abattoirs have. Once inspected and stamped then and only then can the butchers start breaking down the animals. It’s essential a stamp of approval to say that is has gone through the highest of standards possible in the food sector and acts as an assurance to buyers.

 

[tom]

Thanks for the reply but I’m still not sure what’s happening:
It’s not a vet then doing the inspection it’s a food standards agency employee?
So presumably you have to pay them ?
So you are paying the council ((who run the food standard agency ) to inspect your carcasses which I agree is a good idea if you are buying carcasses in from outside stalkers.
So really they are just inspections on the carcasses not on the health of deer before it was shot . How it was shot and how it was gralloched .
As I said before some things can been seen from the carcass body condition but not the real health .
How do contact the food standards agency to come out every week and inspect the carcasses this must be a considerable charge ?
Thanks

 

[tom]

the food standards agency is a independent government body (whatever that means )
So not the council I stand corrected,

 

[WarrenJB]

Thanks for the reply but I’m still not sure what’s happening:
It’s not a vet then doing the inspection it’s a food standards agency employee?
So presumably you have to pay them ?
So you are paying the council ((who run the food standard agency ) to inspect your carcasses which I agree is a good idea if you are buying carcasses in from outside stalkers.
So really they are just inspections on the carcasses not on the health of deer before it was shot . How it was shot and how it was gralloched .
As I said before some things can been seen from the carcass body condition but not the real health .
How do contact the food standards agency to come out every week and inspect the carcasses this must be a considerable charge ?
Thanks

They are still called vets in this situation, it’s the same people that do the slaughter house inspections, but yes they are not there to check the health of the deer before it was shot but to ensure traceability and the quality of the carcass reaches the high standards of the industry. Once your a registered APAHA with the FSA you can organise as many or as little as you need, some of the big units like Ben rigbys and vickars game are on inspections 5 days a week.

Yes there is also a fee we have to pay for the inspections.

 

[Tim.243]

They are still called vets in this situation, it’s the same people that do the slaughter house inspections, but yes they are not there to check the health of the deer before it was shot but to ensure traceability and the quality of the carcass reaches the high standards of the industry. Once your a registered APAHA with the FSA you can organise as many or as little as you need, some of the big units like Ben rigbys and vickars game are on inspections 5 days a week.

Yes there is also a fee we have to pay for the inspections.

A better term would be "inspector" as they inspect/check, the old term was "red meat inspector"

When I am there dropping off I ask is Ben about (just for a chat) "he is busy with the inspector Tim"

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I have a pal who is a vet and is on slaughterhouse inspection duty 4 times per week with a 4am wake up, he gets pre tax 50K Euros per annum for it on top of his practice.

 

[Siggy]

here's the video

Mike Robinson was on the Deer Cast and discusses his reason for going the AGHE route (which includes vet stamped meat)