The Pig Carcase Grading Scheme: dress and grade carcases
Abattoirs in the Pig Carcase Grading Scheme must abide by the regulations for dressing, weighing, grading and marking carcases.
Applies to England and Wales
Once you register with the Pig Carcase Grading Scheme, you must follow the rules that describe how to:
- dress carcases
- weigh carcases
- grade carcases for lean meat content (the grade is then marked on the carcase or documented)
There are also rules about the information you must record for each carcase.
Dress carcases
You must dress pig carcases according to either the EU or the UK dressing specification. You cannot use your own dressing specification.
The EU specification
Before weighing the carcase, you must remove the:
- tongue
- bristles (hair)
- hooves
- genital organs
- flare fat
- kidney
- diaphragm
The UK specification
In the UK, abattoirs are allowed to present pig carcases according to the ‘UK specification’. This means dressing carcases the same as EU specification, but leaving the following parts in:
- kidneys
- flare fat
- diaphragm
You can leave the tongue in or take it out.
Sticking wound
The removal of the sticking wound is required for health and hygiene reasons to remove the contamination caused during the sticking process, as set out in (EU) 2019/627, Article 45 point (D). The removal of the sticking wound must be undertaken ensuring that associated skin, fat and flesh that is not part of the contaminated area remains attached to the carcase.
Weigh carcases
You must record carcase weights as they appear on the actual scale display. You must not round the weight up or down.
You must weigh the dressed carcase for its warm weight. Wherever possible, you must do this no more than 45 minutes after the pig has been stuck.
The table below shows the adjustments (also known as coefficients) that you must make to the weight displayed on the scale to arrive at a standardised “warm” weight when the presentation of the carcass differs from the standard specification set out in retained EU legislation.
| Carcase presentation | Adjustment to weight recorded (coefficient) |
|---|---|
| Weighed with the kidneys, flare fat and diaphragm in | Carcases up to 56kg reduce by 0.7kg Carcases between 56.5kg and 74.5kg reduce by 1.1kg Carcases of 74.6kg and over reduce by 1.6kg |
| Weighed with tongue in | Reduce by 0.3kg |
To calculate the cold weight, deduct 2% from the warm weight. Any deductions from the table above must be applied before the 2% is taken.
Example: A carcass with kidneys, flare fat, diaphragm and tongue in has a scale weight of 65kg. 1.4kg is first deducted per the table above to reach a standardised “warm” weight of 63.6kg. 2% is then deducted, for a cold weight of 62.3kg (rounded to 0.1kg).
Should there be a delay of more than 45 minutes between when the pig is stuck and when it is weighed, the 2% deduction must diminish by 0.1% for every 15 minutes or part thereof of delay beyond the first 45 minutes. For example, in the case of a pig that is weighed 85 minutes after being stuck, the warm-cold coefficient should be 1.7%.
Grade carcases
- Intra-scope (Optical Probe)
- Fat-O-Meater (FOM)
- Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP II)
- CSB Ultra-Meater
- AutoFom (fully automatic ultrasonic carcase grading)
The results must then be used to grade the carcase according to this scale:
| Lean meat as a percentage of recorded carcase cold weight | Grade |
|---|---|
| 60% or more | S |
| 55% or more but less than 60% | E |
| 50% or more but less than 55% | U |
| 45% or more but less than 50% | R |
| 40% or more but less than 45% | O |
| less than 40% | P |
Record carcase grades
You must mark information about the carcase grade directly on to the carcase or record it at the time of grading.
You must mark carcases destined for export uncut to an EU member state with either:
- the appropriate letter from the grading scale above; or
- the percentage lean meat content.
In other cases, you must either:
- mark the carcase with the appropriate letter from the grading scale or with the percentage lean meat content; or
- keep a record for each carcase containing at least
- the individual identification of the carcase by any unalterable means
- the warm weight of the carcase, and
- the EU classification letter from the grading scale above.
If you mark the carcase, you must use indelible, non-toxic, heat-resistant ink and the letters and numbers must be at least 2 centimetres high.
Communicate the classification results
You must tell whoever has sent the animal to slaughter the results of the classification, either in writing or electronically. The format you use could be an invoice or attached document.
You must tell them:
- which dressing specification has been used
- the classification results (EU class)
- the carcase’s weight (specifying whether this is the warm weight or the cold weight).
Updates to this page
Last updated 31 May 2024 + show all updates
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A new section has been added between the UK Specification and Weigh Carcasses section titled 'Sticking Wound.'
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An example has been added to 'weigh carcass'
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Text reviewed and updated
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First published.