The effect on carcass attributes and muscle pH of feeding cattle at an abattoir was studied. Four groups of 38 Hereford and Brahman crossbred bullocks of mean initial liveweight 476 kg were transported 410 km by road and rail to an abattoir in north Queensland. Groups A, B, C and D were fed 0, 0, 3 and 10 kg legume/grass hay/hd/24 h, respectively until 27 h before slaughter, but offered water until an hour before slaughter. During the 48 h feeding period groups C and D ate a total of c. 5.5 and c. 10 kg DM/hd. Group A was slaughtered on day 4 and groups B, C and D on day 6, or 3 and 5 d after mustering. Their mean carcass weights were 259, 252, 254 and 256 kg, respectively (P = 0.055). Group A had a higher (P < 0.05) dressing percentage than group B (54.6 v. 53.1%) but not groups C and D. Feeding treatment did not affect mean bruise score or muscle pH. The incidence of heads and tongues condemned due to contamination by rumen ingesta decreased with increasing resting time and feed intake.
In two experiments, we examined the effects on carcass weight, bruising and muscle properties of resting cattle during a long rail journey and for various periods at an abattoir before slaughter. In experiment 1, 170 Shorthorn bullocks (mean liveweight 556 kg) were transported 90 km by road and 650 km by rail, with three groups (34 per group) going directly to an abattoir and two groups resting once for one day midway during the rail journey. The resting periods at this abattoir were 2, 3, 4,2 and 3 days, respectively. In experiment 2, 240 cows (mean liveweight 424 kg) were transported 190 km by road and 965 km by rail, with three groups (40 per group) going directly to another abattoir, two groups resting once for one day and one group twice for one day during the rail journey. The resting periods at this second abattoir were 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 1, 2 and 1 day(s), respectively. All cattle had access to feed and water during resting periods and to water until slaughter. As the total resting period after the start of the rail journey and before slaughter increased, the percentage of carcasses with high pH values for M. longissimus dorsi decreased (P < 0.05); correlations for pH 24 h post mortem and ultimate pH were -0.97 and -0.71, respectively. The correlation between total resting period and shear values (initial yield and peak force) were c. -0.5. A resting period during the rail journey was as effective as that time spent resting at the abattoir. Cattle transported directly by rail to the abattoir had a greater bruise score than those rested en route, although cows rested twice were as bruised as those going direct. Treatment had no significant effect on carcass weight or systematic effect on cooking loss. Very high incidences of high ultimate pH values in one group of bullocks (29.4%) and another of cows (20.5%) occurred following periods of stress when slaughtering was interrupted by unavoidable stoppages.
A total of 10,543 cattle from 1,386 farms throughout Queensland was examined at abattoirs and the presence of stephanofilarial lesions was related to property of origin, sex, breed, and age of the slaughtered cattle and season of slaughter. The mean prevalence was 38% and within the infected area this varied from less than 5% in south east Queensland to 95% on Cape York Peninsula. The prevalence of lesions was higher in bulls than in steers [corrected] and was least in cows [corrected]. Bos indicus animals had a lower prevalence than B. taurus. Prevalence increased with age. The distribution of the disease closely matched that of the buffalo fly, Haematobia irritans exigua.
Three biosecurity and relief-and-recovery initiatives adopted by the NSW horse racing industries reduced the economic and social disruption caused by the disease and subsequent movement controls during the 2007 Australian equine influenza (EI) incursion. The first was the creation of biosecure horse training and racing precincts around the Sydney area to permit racing to continue with healthy horses. Infection was excluded for 3-5 weeks and race meetings were conducted safely during this period. The second was a vaccination program of racehorses at these and other precincts to maintain an ongoing healthy pool of racehorses. Vaccination commenced too late to enable viable racing to continue in Sydney in the short term, but assisted in managing an early return to racing throughout the state before EI-free status had been regained. The third was the establishment of approved quarantine stations to facilitate the movement of racing and breeding horses out of high-risk regions. The difficulties in establishing and managing these initiatives in the face of the EI incursion are discussed.
Simulation models were developed to quantify the likelihood of equine influenza virus infection entering pre-movement isolation, persisting through pre- and post-movement isolation periods without being detected by scheduled laboratory testing, and escaping to infect susceptible horses at a destination. The mean probability of escape ranged from 1 in 1,200,000 to 1 in 600,000 depending on lot size. For 95% of iterations the probability of escape was less than 1 in 200,000, regardless of lot size. For a large group of 600 horses processed as multiple separate lots, the mean probability of escape ranged from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 56,000 depending on lot size. As a result of this analysis, a modified protocol, with two tests during pre-movement isolation and an additional test during post-movement isolation at the Chief Veterinary Officer's discretion, was implemented.
SUMMARY A meatworks survey was undertaken in 1981–82 to define the distribution and prevalence of hydatidosis in beef cattle in southern Queensland. Hydatid cysts, mostly degenerate, were found in 14.6% of the 22,916 animals examined. The endemic area was to the east of a line approximating the 500 mm isohyet. Prevalence varied with age and origin of cattle, but not sex. Prevalence increased linearly with age, at least up to 4 years. Prevalence on the east coast ranged from 4.3% in yearlings to 52.2% in 4‐year‐old cattle. At the western limit of the endemic area, the prevalence ranged from 1.4% in yearlings to 10.8% in 4‐year‐olds. On the Darling Downs, prevalence was highest in areas where cattle raising is the main industry. On the south western Downs, where sheep‐farming predominates, the prevalence in cattle was much lower, probably because of fewer dingoes. Livers only were affected in 46.5% of infected cattle, lungs only in 17.7/0, and 35.8% of infected animals had both organs affected. Infection in other organs was uncommon. A detailed study of 133 infected cattle showed that 3.8% had lesions misdiagnosed as hydatid cysts at slaughter.
The epidemiology of melioidosis was investigated in 8 intensive piggery units which used water from the same river in south eastern Queensland. In 3 consecutive years cases of disease followed heavy rainfall and flooding. Although Pseudomonas pseudomallei was not isolated from water or soil samples the water supply was suspected as the source of infection. Affected pigs were detected at slaughter by the presence of abscesses most commonly in the bronchial lymph nodes (40%) and spleen (34%). One hundred and fifty nine cases were observed at slaughter from a total of 17,397 animals at risk. Infection by inhalation of water aerosols derived from nipple drinkers, hose sprays and a water misting cooler was considered to be responsible for the bronchial lymph node lesions. These outbreaks occurred outside the area in which melioidosis is generally regarded as being endemic.
Two experiments in Queensland in 1979 examined the ettect on liveweight, carcase weight, bruising and muscle pH of transporting cows 460,870 or 2055 km to three abattoirs for slaughter. Resting, feeding and watering procedures at the abattoirs were based on commercial practices in experiment 1, but were standardized in experiment 2. The effect of transportation alone was studied in experiment 1, by holding additional cattle at the nearest abattoir and slaughtering them on the same day as the group transported 2055 km. All cows came from the same property. The greatest losses in liveweight occurred before cows reached the first abattoir. In experiment 1, mean initial liveweight decreased from 439 to 398 kg for cows travelling 460 km and to 390 kg after 2055 km. In experiment 2, the decreases were 434 to 389 and 375 kg, respectively. It was concluded that time between mustering and slaughter had a greater effect on carcase weight than distance travelled. Between three and eight days after mustering in experiment 1, carcase weight decreased from 230 to 225 kg, whether cows were travelling or held at an abattoir. Between 4.5 and 11 d in experiment 2, the decrease was from 226 to 21 9 kg. Carcase bruising increased when travelling distance exceeded 460 km, but the increase was small relative to losses in carcase weiaht. The DH of M. longissimus dorsi 24 h post-mortem did not increase necessarily with distance travelled.
This work concludes the investigation of the oxide attribute of current interest for the characterization of stored plutonium. Originally it was believed that the presence of oxide could be ascertained by measurement of the 871-keV line in a high-resolution gamma-ray spectrum. However, recent work has suggested that the 871-keV gamma ray in plutonium oxide arises from the reaction {sup 14}N({alpha},p){sup 17}O rather than the inelastic scattering reaction {sup 17}O({alpha},{alpha}{prime}){sup 17}O*. This conclusion, though initially surprising, was obtained during efforts to determine the relative importance of americium and plutonium alpha-particle decay for the production of the 871-keV gamma ray. Several questions were raised by previous experiments: What role, if any does {sup 17}O have in the generation of the 871-keV gamma ray? How does sufficient nitrogen come to be present in plutonium oxide? Under what conditions is the 871-keV gamma ray measurable in plutonium oxide? This paper describes the answers to these questions.
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