Article 19 Other bovine animals
United Kingdom
Carcases and offal of bovine animals other than those referred to in Article 18(1) shall undergo the following post-mortem inspection procedures:
a visual inspection of the head and throat; incision and examination of the retropharyngeal lymph nodes (Lnn. retropharyngiales); examination of the external masseters, in which two incisions shall be made parallel to the mandible, and the internal masseters (internal pterygoid muscles), which shall be incised along one plane. The tongue shall be freed to permit a detailed visual inspection of the mouth and the fauces;
an inspection of the trachea and oesophagus; visual inspection and palpation of the lungs; incision and examination of the bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes (Lnn. bifurcationes, eparteriales and mediastinales);
a visual inspection of the pericardium and heart, the latter being incised lengthways so as to open the ventricles and cut through the interventricular septum;
a visual inspection of the diaphragm;
a visual inspection of the liver and the hepatic and pancreatic lymph nodes (Lnn. portales);
a visual inspection of the gastro-intestinal tract, the mesentery, the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes (Lnn. gastrici, mesenterici, craniales and caudales); palpation of the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes;
a visual inspection of the spleen;
a visual inspection of the kidneys;
a visual inspection of the pleura and the peritoneum;
a visual inspection of the genital organs (except for the penis, if already discarded);
a visual inspection of the udder and its lymph nodes (Lnn. supramammarii).
The official veterinarian shall proceed with the following post-mortem inspection procedures using incision and palpation of the carcase and offal, when there are indications of a possible risk to human health, animal health or animal welfare indicated in accordance with Article 24:
an incision and examination of the sub-maxillary and parotid lymph nodes (Lnn. mandibulares and parotidei); palpation of the tongue and the fauces;
an incision of the bronchial and mediastinal lymph nodes (Lnn. bifurcationes, eparteriales and mediastinales); lengthwise opening of the trachea and the main branches of the bronchi; the lungs shall be incised in their posterior third, perpendicular to their main axes; these incisions are not necessary where the lungs are excluded from human consumption;
a palpation of the liver and the hepatic and pancreatic lymph nodes (Lnn. portales); incision of the gastric surface of the liver and at the base of the caudate lobe to examine the bile ducts;
an incision of the gastric and mesenteric lymph nodes;
a palpation of the spleen;
an incision of the kidneys and the renal lymph nodes (Lnn. renales);
a palpation and incision of the udder and its lymph nodes (Lnn. supramammarii) in cows. Each half of the udder shall be opened by a long, deep incision as far as the lactiferous sinuses (sinus lactiferes) and the lymph nodes of the udder shall be incised, except where the udder is excluded from human consumption.