1. Pig carcass classification
Technical Assistance for Development of Strategy for Alignment with
Common Market Organization (CMO) Requirements
TR2014/AG/10-A1-01/001
This Project is co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey
Pig carcass classification
Training on classification March 2018
Piet van de Lindeloof
Andrzej Piekarewicz

2. Legal basis (1)
Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1249/2008 of 10 December laying down detailed rules on the implementation of the Community scales for the classification of beef, pig and sheep carcasses and the reporting of prices thereof

3. Legal basis (2)
Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013
Establishes the classification union scale for pig carcasses to be used in all slaughterhouses, except those that have been used for breeding - (boars and sows) which are excluded from classification;
It states that the classification is made on the basis of the lean meat content of the carcass

4. Regulation 1308-2013 – Annex IV Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses
Definitions
Classification
Presentation
Lean-meat content
Identification of carcasses

5. Regulation 1308-2013 – Annex IV Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses
Definitions
"Carcass" means the body of a slaughtered pig, bled and eviscerated, whole or divided down the mid-line.
Classification
Carcasses must be divided into classes according to their estimated lean-meat content and classified accordingly:

6. Regulation 1308-2013 – Annex IV Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses
S - 60% or more lean meat as percentage of carcass weight
E - 55% or more but less than 60%
U - 50% or more but less than 55%
R - 45% or more but less than 50%
O - 40% or more but less than 45%
P - less than 40%

7. Car
Carcass class R
Carcass class S
Carcass class P

8. Regulation 1308-2013 – Annex IV Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses
Presentation
Carcasses must be presented without tongue, bristles, hooves, genital organs, flare fat, kidneys and diaphragm.
Lean-meat content
The lean-meat content must be assessed by means grading methods authorised by the Commission. Only statistically proven assessment methods based on the physical measurement of one or more anatomical parts of the pig carcass may be authorised. Authorisation of grading methods must be subject to compliance with a maximum tolerance for statistical error in assessment.
The commercial value of the carcasses must not be determined solely by their estimated lean-meat content.

9. Regulation 1308-2013 – Annex IV Union scale for the classification of pig carcasses
Identification of carcasses
Classified carcasses must be identified by marking in accordance with the Union scale unless otherwise provided for by the Commission.

10. Legal basis (3)
Commission Regulation (EC) No 1249/2008 of 10 December 2008
detailed rules on the implementation of the Community scales for the classification of beef, pig and sheep carcasses and the reporting of prices thereof
Member States may decide not to make application of this scale obligatory in slaughterhouses:
for which the Member States concerned set a maximum number of slaughters; this number may not exceed 200 pigs per week on a yearly average basis;
which slaughter only pigs born and fattened in their own breeding establishments and which cut up all the carcasses obtained.

11. Lean meat content (1)
The lean-meat content of a pig carcass shall be the relationship between: — the total weight of the red striated muscles provided that they are separable by knife, and — the weight of the carcass.

12. Lean meat content (2)
The total weight of the red striated muscles is obtained either by total dissection of the carcass or by partial dissection of the carcass or by combination of total or partial dissection with a national quick method based on proven statistical methods The dissection may also be replaced by assessing the lean meat percentage by means of total dissection with a computer tomography apparatus on the condition that satisfactory comparative dissection results are provided.

13. Lean meat content (3)
Where partial dissection is carried out, the prediction of the lean meat percentage is based on the dissection of the four major cuts (shoulder, loin, ham and belly). The reference lean meat percentage is calculated as follows:
The weight of the lean in the four major cuts (shoulder, loin, ham and belly) will be calculated by subtracting the total of the non-lean elements of the four cuts from the total weight of the cuts before dissection.
Where total dissection is carried out, the reference lean meat percentage is calculated as follows:
The weight of the lean will be calculated by subtracting the total of the non- lean elements from the total carcase weight before dissection. The head, except the cheek, is not dissected.

14. Lean meat content (4)
The standard statistical method for assessing the lean-meat content of pig carcasses authorised as a grading method must be either ordinary least squares (a method for estimating the unknown parameters in a linear regression model) or rank reduced methods, but other statistically proven methods may be used.

15. Lean meat content (5)
The method must be based on a representative sample of the national or regional pigmeat production concerned, consisting of at least 120 carcasses whose lean-meat content has been ascertained in accordance with the dissection method laid down in Annex IV to Regulation 1249/2008 (total or partial). If multiple sampling methods are used, the reference must be measured on at least 50 carcasses and the precision must be at least equal to that obtained using the standard statistical method on 120 carcasses using the method in Annex IV.

16. Lean meat content (6)
Grading methods must be authorised only if the root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP), computed by a full cross-validation technique or by a test set validation on a representative sample of at least 60 carcasses, is less than 2,5. In addition, any outliers shall be included in the calculation of RMSEP.
RMSEP < 2,5 means that result from the grading method deviate „in plus” and „in minus” from the obtained result from dissection (made by knife or CT) by less than 2.5 percentage points.

17. Lean meat content (7)
Member States must inform the Commission, by way of a protocol, of the grading methods they wish to have authorised for application in their territory, describing the dissection trial, indicating the principles on which these methods are based and the equations used for assessing the percentage of lean meat. The protocol should have two parts and should include certain elements provided for in Annex V. Part one of the protocol is presented to the Commission prior to the start of the dissection trial. Application of grading methods in the territory of a Member State must be authorised by the Commission.

18. Apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto (1)
Invasive

19. Apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto (2)
Non-invasive: ultra sound

20. Apparatus and the assessment methods related thereto (3)
Non-invasive: image analysis
Non-invasive: linear measure
25 different devices in use – 116 methods authorised

21. Invasive devices – examples
FOM II Intrascope (Optical probe) IM-03
Source: /
Source:
CGM (Sydel)
OptiGrade-MCP
PG-200
Source:

22. Non-invasive devices – examples (1) ultra sound
AutoFom III

23. Non-invasive devices – examples (2) ultra sound
Technical Assistance for Development of Strategy for Alignment with
Common Market Organization (CMO) Requirements
TR2014/AG/10-A1-01/001
Non-invasive devices – examples (2) ultra sound
Ultra FOM 300

24. Non-invasive devices – examples (3) image analysis
CSB Image-Meater (stationary)
Source: Produktflyer_Schlachtschweineklassifizierung mit dem CSB-Image-Meater

25. Non-invasive devices – examples (4) Linear measure
ZP (Zwei-Punkt-Messverfahren)
Measurement points for the two-point ZP method using a ruler or electronic caliper
M – muscle thickness;
G – back fat thickness
Source: G. Daumas, 2001

26. This Project is co-financed by the
Technical Assistance for Development of Strategy for Alignment with
Common Market Organization (CMO) Requirements
TR2014/AG/10-A1-01/001
Measure methods and measurements points – examples ultra sound and optical needle
This Project is co-financed by the
IM-03
parallel to the split line of the carcass,
last rib position
perpendicularly to the muscle
the third to fourth rib from the last rib position

27. POLAND
Eight different methods were authorised by the Commission Implementing Decision of 16 August 2011 (2011/506/EU) The CSB Image-Meater (CSB) and Fat-O-Meater II (FOM II) devices and methods related to which were authorised are not used in Poland.
Capteur Gras/Maigre — Sydel (CGM)
Ultra FOM 300
IM-03
Fully automatic ultrasonic carcass grading (Autofom)
Fat-O-Meater II (FOM II)
Autofom III
manual method (ZP)
CSB Image-Meater (CSB)

28. POLAND The lean meat content of the carcass is calculated according to the following formula:
CGM Sydel Ŷ = 59,42 + 0,1322 × M2 – 0,6275 × F2 where: Ŷ = the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcass, M2 = the thickness of the dorsal muscle in millimetres, measured at the third to fourth last rib position, 6 centimetres from the dorsal midline, measured parallel to the split line of the carcass, F2 = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimetres measured at the same time, in the same place and in the same way as M 2.

29. POLAND The lean meat content of the carcass is calculated according to the following formula:
ULTRA FOM 300 Ŷ = 54,48 + 0,1272 × M1 – 0,3090 × F1 + 0,0828 × M2 – 0,2802 × F2 where: Ŷ = the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcass, M1 = the thickness of the dorsal muscle in millimeters, measured at the last rib position, 7 centimetres from the dorsal midline perpendicularly to the muscle, M2 = the thickness of the dorsal muscle in millimeters, measured at the third to fourth rib from the last rib position, 7 centimeters from the dorsal midline perpendicularly to the muscle, F1 = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimeters measured at the same time, in the same place and in the same way as M1, F2 = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimeters measured at the same time, in the same place and in the same way as M 2

30. POLAND The lean meat content of the carcass is calculated according to the following formula:
MANUAL METHOD Ŷ = 52,61 – 0,6148 × F + 0,1842 × M where: Ŷ = the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcass, F = the minimum thickness of visible fat on the midline of the split carcass in millimetres, covering the M. gluteus medius (mm), M = the visible thickness of the lumbar muscle on the midline of the split carcass, measured as the shortest connection between the front (cranial) end of the M. gluteus medius and the upper (dorsal) edge of the vertebral canal (mm).

31. POLAND The lean meat content of the carcass is calculated according to the following formula:
AUTO FOM III calculated on the basis of 10 variables according to: Ŷ = 73, (AF3_R2P1 × – 1,036616) + (AF3_R2P3 × – 0,180173) + (AF3_R2P13 × – 0,144679) + (AF3_R2P15 × – 0,221519) + (AF3_R3P5 × 0,136061) + (AF3_R4P4 × 0,249888) + (AF3_R4P5 × 0,330109) + (AF3_R4P6 × 0,184696) + (AF3_R4P8 × – 0,112875) + (AF3_R4P9 × – 0,113663) where: Ŷ = the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcass, R2P1, R2P3, R2P13 … R4P9 — are the variables measured by Autofom III (AF3).

32. Technical Assistance for Development of Strategy for Alignment with
Common Market Organization (CMO) Requirements
TR2014/AG/10-A1-01/001
The NETHERLANDS
This Project is co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey
In the Netherlands three types of equipment are approved. Commission Implementing Decision of 20 May 2011 (2011/303/EU)
Capteur Gras/Maigre — Sydel (CGM)
Hennessy Grading Probe (HGP 7)
CSB Image-Meater (CSB)
Dutch legislation:
requires the classification organisation KIWA-CMR to use only CGM Sydel.
Additional voluntary type classification:
AA: Excellent muscling A: good until very good muscling
B: Mediocre musling C: weak muscling

33. The NETHERLANDS The lean meat content of the carcass is calculated according to the following formula:
CGM Sydel Ŷ = 66,86 + 0,0207 × M2 – 0,6549 × F2 where: Ŷ = the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcass, M2 = the thickness of the dorsal muscle in millimeters, measured at the third to fourth rib from the last rib position, 6 centimeters from the dorsal midline perpendicularly to the muscle F2 = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimetres measured at the same time, in the same place and in the same way as M2.

34. The NETHERLANDS The lean meat content of the carcass is calculated according to the following formula:
HGP 7 Ŷ = 66,86 + 0,0446 × M2 – 0,6337 × F2 where: Ŷ = the estimated percentage of lean meat in the carcass, M2 = the thickness of the dorsal muscle in millimeters, measured at the third to fourth rib from the last rib position, 6 centimeters from the dorsal midline perpendicularly to the muscle F2 = the thickness of back-fat (including rind) in millimetres measured at the same time, in the same place and in the same way as M2.

35. The NETHERLANDS The lean meat content of the carcass is calculated according to the following formula:
CSB Image-meater calculated on the basis of 16 measurements according to: Ŷ = 65, ,2741S + 0,016F - 0,0302ML - 0,2648MS + 0,0831MF - 0,1002WL - 0,0509WaS + 0,0172WaF - 0,0169WbS + 0,0006WbF + 0,0341WcS – 0,0097WcF + 0,0223WdS – 0,0008WdF + 0,0132ES – 0,0124IS where: Ŷ=the estimated % of lean meat; S = ZP minimal fat depth over muscle gluteus medius F= ZP minimal muscle depth between anterior extremity of muscle gluteus medius and the dorsal part of medullar canal. ML=length of muscle gluteus medius, MS=mean bacon width below gluteus medius, MF=mean lean meat width below muscle gluteus medius WL=mean length of vertebrae including spinal discs WabcdS=mean bacon width below 1st measured vertebra (a) and 3 other vertrebrae (bcd) WabcdF=mean lean meat width below 1st measured vertebra (a), and three other vertebrae (b, c, d) ES=external bacon width above the four measured vertebrae IS=mean internal bacon width above the four measured vertebrae (mm).

36. Weighing, grading and marking (1)
No fat, muscle or other tissue may be removed from the carcass before weighing, grading and marking.
Weighing to take place not more than 45 minutes after being stuck.
Grading and marking with the capital letter (at least 2 cm high) denoting the class of the carcass or the percentage of estimated lean meat at the time of weighing
Half-carcasses are marked on the skin of the hind shank or the ham
A label is also acceptable form of marking

37. Weighing, grading and marking (2)
MS may decide that pig carcasses need not be marked if an official record is drawn up:
individual identification of the carcass by any unalterable means ;
the warm weight of the carcass;
the estimated lean-meat content.
However, in order to be marketed uncut in another Member State, carcasses must be marked in accordance with the appropriate class, or in accordance with the percentage expressing their lean-meat content.

38. Weighing, grading and marking (3)
This record must be kept for six months
on the day when it is drawn up, must be certified as a true original certificate by a person entrusted with this verification task

39. Weighing, grading and marking (4)
Cold carcass weight = hot weight minus 2%
Deduction may be reduced by 0,1 point for every additional quarter of an hour

40. Thank you for your attention. Any questions?

41. This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union
The contents of this publication is the sole responsibility of NIRAS IC Sp. z o.o. and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union