Definition: Carcass weight

Category: Agriculture statistics

Sheep and goats: Carcass weight is the weight of the slaughtered animal's cold body after having been bled, skinned and eviscerated, and after removal of the head (severed at the atlanto-occipital joint), of the feet (severed at the carpo-metacarpal or tarso-metatarsal joints), of the tail (severed between the sixth and seventh caudal vertebrae) and of the genital organs (including udder). Kidneys and kidney fats are included in the carcass.

Pigs: Carcass weight is the weight of the slaughtered pig's cold body, either whole or divided in half along the mid-line, after being bled and eviscerated and after removal of the tongue, bristles, hooves, genitalia, flare fat, kidneys and diaphragm.

Cattle: Carcass weight is the weight of the slaughtered animal's cold body after being skinned, bled and eviscerated, and after removal of the external genitalia, the limbs at the carpus and tarsus, the head, the tail, the kidneys and kidney fats, and the udder. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31994D0434:EN:HTML