ABSTRACT
The dictionary de‘nition of “carcass” (or the equally acceptable spelling “carcase”) as it applies to animals will often mean the whole dead body. For meat animals, however, the carcass refers to that part remaining after various dressing procedures have taken place. These procedures commonly involve removal of most of the internal organs (gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, heart, etc.), the feet, the head, and the skin. The exact nature of the items removed, however, will vary between species of meat animal and often between countries for the same species. Thus, whereas beef or lamb carcasses will usually have the feet, head, and skin removed (e.g., EUR 2006), these parts are often included as part of the carcass for pigs. An example of a difference between countries is that between New Zealand, where the kidney and pelvic fat is not included with beef carcasses, and the United States where these items are included as an aid to assessing carcass fatness. In order to be commercially realistic, the de‘nition of a carcass used here is that part of the meat animal that remains after normal commercial dressing procedures, even though inconsistencies inevitably result from the use of this de‘nition.
