748 Report on Tuberculosis in Pigs. [march, 



negligible, with the inference that the greater uniformity of 

 practice desired should be sought by the removal of present 

 checks upon the sale of meat of tuberculous animals in London 

 rather than by alterations which would increase the inspection 

 of meat. 



Dr. Buchanan considers that any step in this direction 

 would be undesirable for many reasons, and suggests certain 

 directions in which material progress might be made towards 

 greater uniformity of practice in London. 



He suggests that there would be many advantages in extending 

 the system adopted in Dutch and Danish slaughter-houses of 

 attesting the fact that a given carcase together with its viscera 

 has passed official inspection. The official labels which at 

 present are attached to these carcases might usefully be supple- 

 mented by stamping or branding the carcase in several places 

 with an appropriate mark, for instance, under German meat 

 inspection regulations, carcases of pigs which have passed 

 official inspection are stamped (on each side of the carcase) on 

 head, neck, shoulder, back, belly, and outside of hind leg. The 

 pig carcase lends itself easily to stamping. Similar marking and 

 labelling could be easily undertaken in the case of pigs slaughtered 

 under official inspection at Islington, when new slaughter-house 

 arrangements are made there. 



Such marking would assist meat inspectors both at the Central 

 Market and at retail shops. At the Central Market it would be 

 advisable from time to time to check the system of marking by 

 careful examination of marked carcases. But as a rule attention 

 would be given only to those which were unmarked, and much 

 labour would thereby be saved. 



There is no reason to apprehend that marking the carcase (an 

 every day practice on the Continent) will in any way prejudice 

 its sale to the public, and it seems probable that retail butchers 

 and other buyers will appreciate the security afforded by the 

 mark. This has certainly been the case with the labels attached 

 to the officially inspected carcases imported from Holland. The 

 danger appears to be -rather the other way, that unequal treat- 

 ment may be accorded to the home producer who cannot 

 profitably send his pigs alive to Islington and is obliged to 

 slaughter in private slaughter-houses. In the absence of care or 

 knowledge on the part of men who slaughter or dress the 



