Construction, management and cleanliness of red meat abattoir lairages in the UK A. Small a, * , C. James b , S. James b , R. Davies c , M. Howell d , M. Hutchison a , S. Buncic a a Division of Farm Animal Science, University of Bristol, Langford House, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK b Food Refrigeration and Process Engineering Research Centre (FRPERC), Churchill Building, Langford House, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK c Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, Addlestone, Surrey, UK d Food Standards Agency, Aviation House, 125 Kingsway, London WC2B 6NH, UK Received 9 February 2006; received in revised form 17 July 2006; accepted 4 September 2006 Abstract A survey of a large number of UK abattoirs was conducted via a questionnaire designed to obtain information on (i) throughput and species slaughtered; (ii) construction materials used; (iii) use and type of bedding and (iv) details of cleaning/sanitation regimes. A rep- resentative group of abattoirs were selected on the basis of the responses to the questionnaire, and the lairage at these plants investigated through enumeration of Escherichia coli remaining after routine cleansing operations. The aim of this study was to enable identification of ‘‘common lairage practices’’ and to assess the general status of the lairage hygiene and effectiveness of lairage cleaning in commercial UK abattoirs. The study shows that microbial contamination often remains in UK lairage holding pens after routine cleaning operations. It would appear that there are significant differences in the effectiveness of lairage cleaning programmes at commercial abattoirs, and that the stun- box-roll-out areas are often cleaned to a better standard than the holding areas. As a result of persistence of microbial contamination in the lairage, there is a possible risk of foodborne pathogens persisting in the environment and potentially contaminating animals and car- casses processed on subsequent days. Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Lairage; Cleaning; Construction 1. Introduction The abattoir lairage is the final stage in the animal’s journey from farm to slaughter, and is a point in the chain through which a large number of animals, from diverse sources, possibly spread over a wide geographical area, pass (Jarvis, Harrington, & Cockram, 1996a). Thus, the lai- rage can potentially harbour bacterial contamination car- ried into the premises on the skin of animals, or deposited in faecal matter passed by the animals delivered for slaughter. Foodborne pathogens such as Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. have been isolated from the lairages of abattoirs both during processing, and following routine cleansing and disinfec- tion (Swanenburg, Urlings, Keuzenkamp, & Snijders, 2001; Small et al., 2002). Where microbial contamination is present in animal housing, clean animals are rapidly con- taminated with these ‘‘environmental’’ organisms (Grau & Smith, 1974; Hurd, Gailey, McKean, & Rostagno, 2001; Larsen, Hurd, McKean, Griffith, & Wesley, 2004), and cross-contamination within the lairage has also been dem- onstrated (Collis et al., 2004). Animal welfare researchers recommend that lairage floors are grooved to prevent slips and falls and that holding pen walls are solid, as this results in quieter animals (Grandin, 1990), while hygienists stipu- late that lairages should be easy to clean (Gracey & Collins, 1992). Slatted floors have been recommended to ensure 0309-1740/$ - see front matter Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2006.09.002 * Corresponding author. Current address: Food Science Australia, Meat Industry Services, P.O. Box 3312, Tingalpa DC, QLD 4173, Australia: Tel.: +61 7 3214 2109; fax: +61 7 3214 2126. E-mail address: alison.small@csiro.au (A. Small). www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci Meat Science 75 (2007) 523–532 MEAT SCIENCE