H. De Boer

Manual on E.A.A.P. Reference Methods for the assessment of carcass characteristics in cattle

Abstract A working party of the Study Commission on Cattle Production of the European Association for Animal Production has established reference methods for the assessment of carcass characteristics in cattle. The principle is similar to that of the draft systems for carcass description by OECD and FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission. The system aims at assessing some main carcass characteristics in a uniform and quantitative sense. It comprises a minimum set of assessments, which are easily applicable and non-destructive. The drafted manual includes: 1. (1) Definitions of concepts applying to the assessment of carcass characteristics. 2. (2) Standardized quantification of visually assessed morphologic carcass characteristics (in particular “fleshiness” and “fatness”). 3. (3) Standardized procedures for measurements and the determination of weight. The visual appraisal standards for fleshiness and fatness have been established more precisely by means of sets of colourslides. The reference methods refer both to carcasses and live cattle.