What does ante-mortem inspection refer to?

• A. Physical examination of animals before slaughter
• B. Examination of carcasses after slaughter
• C. In-plant processing line evaluation
• D. Documentation review only

Answer: (A)

Ante-mortem inspection is the pre-slaughter physical examination of animals to assess their health and fitness for slaughter. Inspectors look for signs of illness, disease, or poor welfare before animals are slaughtered, such as appetite and behavior changes, signs of respiratory or systemic disease, lameness, skin lesions, nasal or ocular discharge, and overall body condition. This step helps ensure that only healthy animals enter the slaughter process and can lead to detention or rejection if an animal is unfit. It differs from post-mortem inspection, which examines carcasses after slaughter to detect issues that appeared during or after processing, and from processing-line checks or documentation reviews, which focus on operations or records rather than the animal’s pre-slaughter health.