Poultry farmed birds, including birds that are not considered as domestic but which are farmed as domestic animals with the exception of ratites (ostriches). 

Broilers (40–60 days)
• Laying hens (over 2 years).
• Turkeys (6 months).
• Ducks (40–60 days).
• Geese (10–14 weeks).
• Partridges
• Pheasants
• Quails (32–35 days – 32/35 gr.)

• Others (Guinea fowl, Capon) 

FCI = all the information regarding a batch of animals with relevance to the food business operator, and the official veterinarian.

•

OV checks and analyses FCI and may decide:

• If animals have disease/condition transmissible to humans or animals through handling/eating meat: MUST be rejected for slaughter.

• Animals should be killed separately under strict hygienic conditions so no cross-contamination with fit meat, then disposed of as by-product.

• Change slaughterhouse process:

• decrease line speed

• increase number of inspectors

• Slaughter particular batch last.

• Detain for further testing (animals or carcases). 

Member States to take effective measures to detect and control Salmonellas of public health significance in specified animal species at all relevant stages of production.

• Member States aim to meet this target through an agreed National Control Programme (NCP).

• All flocks of chickens reared for meat are included in the NCP unless exempted:

• birds produced for private domestic consumption,

• where there is direct supply of small quantities of products to the final consumer or to local retail establishments directly supplying the primary products to the final consumer. 

sets a Community target for the reduction of the prevalence of Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium in broilers.

• The GB Poultry Register ( much like the britsh cattle movement) has been set up for disease control purposes, specifically avian influenza, and contains the locations of all flocks of Gallus gallus with more than 50 birds. The Register provides a large database of holdings with chickens reared for meat. - register with animal health 

Sampling at the farm:
• Three weeks before birds are leaving for slaughter (2 pairs

of boot swabs).salmonella in the environment, doesnt mean the birds are actually sick 

• Official Control (APHA) sampling includes:
• Each year at least one flock of broilers on 10% of the

holdings with more than 5,000 birds.

• In addition it should be done on a risk basis approach each time the competent authority considers it necessary.

• Particular attention will be given to holdings where S. Enteritidis or S. Typhimurium have been isolated from samples. 

If a test is positive for Salmonella, the laboratory must immediately report the result to the appropriate government official (APHA) as required under the Zoonoses Order 1989.

• Regulation (EC) 2160/2003: fresh poultry meat from broilers may not be placed on the market for human consumption unless it meets the following criterion:

• ‘Salmonella: absence in 25 grams’.

• The criterion laid down above does not apply to fresh poultry meat destined for industrial heat treatment or another treatment to eliminate Salmonella in accordance with Community legislation on food hygiene. 

Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs requires poultry abattoirs to undertake microbiological testing for Salmonella on 5 samples a week (each sample is 3 neck skins): Process Hygiene Criteria

• Establishments producing minced meat, meat preparations and mechanically separated meat must also undertake weekly testing for Salmonella: Food Safety Criteria - on final product, if + -recalled from market

Check which Salmonella serotype is detailed on the FCI and ensure that is not one of public health importance:

• Enteritidis
• Typhimurium • Wirchow
• Hadar
• Infantis

• Ensure the FBO follows the relevant procedure to control Salmonella in accordance with their HACCP-based food safety management system.

• Notify the meat inspection team that a positive flock is received, and ensure that the appropriate PMI and judgement on meat is followed. 

The FBO must take the following action:

• Retain the affected batch(es) and slaughter them at the end of the production day,

• After slaughter, undertake a full cleansing and disinfection of all equipment and machinery, including changing the water in the scalding tanks, and renewing the water in the spin chillers.

• Where a positive batch has been processed in the middle or at the end of a production run (either in error or on welfare grounds), then the production run should be stopped as soon as the affected batch has been processed, and a full clean down as above take place before any further processing commences.

• Following production, in the absence of any relevant AM or PM findings, the carcases can enter the food chain as normal. 

AMI may be carried out at holding of origin but not commonly in use in the UK. not required to inspect 100%- random %, 5% from every consignment

• Health Certificate (3 days) from authorized vet.

• Inspection is to verify:

• animal identification
• animal welfare- poultry get stressed very easily

• any condition that may adversely affect human or animal health.

• If the birds show clinical signs of a disease, they may not be slaughtered for human consumption. However, killing of these birds on the slaughter line may take place at the end of the normal slaughter process, if precautions are taken to avoid the risk of spreading pathogenic organisms and to clean and disinfect the facilities after killing.

young-> plumage not well developed

Dont have category 1 material in poultry 

Suspect animals are to undergo detailed AM examination in order for the OV to make a decision whether the animal is fit for slaughter for human consumption.

• The OV must defer the slaughter of animals suspected of having a disease or condition that may adversely affect human or animal health. The FBO should hold the animal(s) in isolation pending the OV final decision.

• Each OV should make a professional judgement based on the FCI, AMI or any other information presented, as to which animal/s should be further examined. Such an examination may include taking of appropriate samples.

• Veterinary medicines in excess of maximum residue limits present in the animal. 

- look at wattle and comb color

- when sick, dont clean themselves-> head becomes dirty

look at eye-> when sick-oval shaped, semi closed

OV must inform the MHI conducting the PMI of suspect animals to ensure that ante-mortem and post-mortem findings are correlated and recorded.

• Poultry may be returned to farms or sent to other abattoirs in exceptional circumstances, such as a line breakdown, as long as:

• Animal Welfare.
• Animal Health conditions permitted. 

Must be protected from adverse weather conditions.

• Must provided with adequate ventilation.

• Must be unloaded from vehicles as soon as possible after arrival, avoiding unnecessary delay.

• FBO must check welfare of animals. 

Use of portable fan machine.

• Some live bird transport vehicles are equipped with forced ventilation systems.

• In cases where there is an unavoidable delay to unloading, it may be preferable to keep the vehicle moving - movement of air around and through the vehicle will help to keep the birds cool.

• Re-direct to another abattoir.

• Enforce schedule of arrival. 

  chickens are 41C, if increase to 43C- start to die 

  increasing temp and relative humidity can be detrimental to bird welfare

  - in danger zone, something has to be done immediatley 

  - 

Reduce the stocking density of birds in the crates,

Install extraction fans which extract humid air and

excessive heat from the crates,

• Monitor the effectiveness of fans, and if necessary increase the number of fans to increase the flow of air,

• Ensure an emergency back-up means of maintaining adequate ventilation is available if the original source of ventilation fails,

• Reduce moisture sources in the lairage, for example by locating crate or lorry washing facilities well away from the lairage.

Cleanliness.

• Heath stress:
• Ventilation,
• Layout of crates in the lairage,
• Over-crowding of crates / lairage.

• Trapped birds or injuries (broken wings- only for emergency slaughter - not for human consumption, legs, etc.).

• Lights and noise levels. 

A certificate of competence is required for any of the following operations:

a) The handling and care of animals before they are restrained,

b) The restraint of animals for the purpose of stunning or killing,

c) The stunning of any animal,

4. d)  The assessment of effective stunning,

5. e)  The shackling and hoisting of live animals,

6. f)  The bleeding of live animals.

g) The slaughtering of any animal in accordance with religious methods. 

Shackled birds time to become settled in the hanging position (12 sec. for chickens and 25sec. for turkeys),

• Personnel must be able to gain ready access to shackled birds in case of an emergency,

• Breast comforter,

• Good shackle design,

• It is inappropriate to shackle sick or injured birds,

• Birds must not be shackled for more than 3 minutes in the case of turkeys, or 2 minutes in the case of any other bird, before stunning.

- need to fill shackle line  

Birds are individually shackled.
- Ideally all shackles are filled to reduce space between birds.

- Birds should be hung on by both legs and well fitted into shackles.

 - Unloading of crates and shackling of birds is done In low lighting.

Disinfectant used to sanitise empty crates and vehicles must be approved by DEFRA.

Biosecurity at the abattoir and between farms is key in helping to prevent spread of disease. 

Flying the stunner”: Pre-stun shocks are painful. They are caused when any part of a bird (drooping of the wings) receives an electric shock before it is effectively stunned.

• Design of the shackle line and entry ramp to the bath is essential.

• Alter water bath height appropriately when birds of a different size are processed (no standard size / turkeys). 

- to make sure head goes into water first

Flying the stunner”: Pre-stun shocks are painful. They are caused when any part of a bird (drooping of the wings) receives an electric shock before it is effectively stunned.

• Design of the shackle line and entry ramp to the bath is essential.

• Alter water bath height appropriately when birds of a different size are processed (no standard size / turkeys). 

- to make sure head goes into water first

Current = Voltage / Resistance:

• The correct current is applied for sufficient time to ensure that an adequate period of unconsciousness results,

• There is secure contact between the bird, the shackle and the earth rubbing bar,

• The water level used in the water bath is sufficient to completely cover the head and neck of the suspended bird,

• The combination of the chosen waveform, frequency and magnitude of the current are able to effect an adequate stun. 

In the case of high frequency electrical stunning, birds should receive a stun of at least 8 seconds duration to be rendered unconscious.

• If a low electrical frequency AC stunning source is used, birds should be effectively stunned- killed with an application time of 2-4 seconds. 

No rhythmic breathing for 10-20 sec. after leaving the water bath;

• Neck arched with head directed vertically;

• dilated pupils;

• Absence of a corneal or 3rd eyelid response;

• No reaction to comb pinch;

• Wings held close to the body;

• Rigidly extended legs (not an appropriate indicator when a bird is held in a shackle); and

• Constant body tremors (movement).

No response to any stimuli e.g. no corneal or third eyelid response or reaction to comb pinch; 

Birds may be killed by means of exposure to one of several gas mixtures by:

• Carbon dioxide only in two phases,

• Carbon dioxide associated with inert gases,

• Mixture of inert gases (Argon and Nitrogen). 

• More expensive to run than the electrical stunner.

• There should be anyway a back-up system in place in case of

break down (e.g. electrical water stunning bath).
• Difficult to differentiate DoA from stunned/killed birds:

• DoA: cold carcases already in rigor mortis.

• Health and Safety for people in case of gas leak.

• Higher level of training needed for slaughtermen operating the system. 

Gases should not enter into the chamber or the location where animals are to be stunned and killed in a way that it could create burns or excitement by freezing or lack of humidity.

• The gas stun chamber must contain a device which will give audible and visible warnings if the concentration of gas in the chamber moves outside of the required concentrations. The device must be placed so as to be clearly visible to the personnel. These records shall be kept for at least one year.

• Birds must be exposed to gas for at least 3 minutes until they are dead.

- On exiting the system, all birds must be checked to ensure that they are dead.

• In case of failure, there must be a back-up slaughter method available and ready for use at all times which is capable of dealing with all birds awaiting slaughter. 

On leaving the gas stunning unit:

- the birds must be dead

- limp body

- no rhymic breathing

- there will be no corneal or third eyelid reflex

- the pupils will be fixed, dilated and central 

• If the stun is ineffective, the bird may show the following signs:

• Return of rhythmic breathing;

• A corneal or 3rd eyelid response;

• Tension in the neck muscles;

• The pupils will be fixed, dilated and central.

• Other voluntary muscle movements;

• Vocalisation.
• Emergency Slaughter. 

Flock of uneven size,

Neck Cutter Failures

• Mechanical failure of the automatic neck cutter (ANC),

• Slaughter man did not sever at least one of the carotid arteries,

• Poorly adjusted/ maintained equipment,

• Failure of back up slaughter man to address ANC inefficiencies,

• Bleeding time insufficient. 

A stun to bleed interval of less than 15 seconds is recommended for simple stunning.

• The cut must sever at least one of the carotid arteries or the vessels from which they arise.

• More rapid bleed out is achieved if both carotid arteries are cut. Minimum bleeding time is:

• 90 seconds for broilers • 120 seconds for turkeys

• A licensed slaughter man must be situated at the site of the neck-cutter to make sure it has effectively severed at least one of the carotid arteries of each bird. 

After the cut, no further dressing procedure is permitted until bleeding has stopped, and certainly not before:
- 120 seconds after neck cutting of a turkey or a goose; and
- 90 seconds after neck cutting of any other bird. 

Carried out to open pores aiding feather removal.

- A hot box steam system is an alternative method.

- High risk of water contamination here.

Good cleaning of the plucking machine.
- Machines must be set properly for the size of birds.
- Worn or cracked fingers can be a major source of contamination.

- Birds must be washed on exit. 

Whole bird inspection takes place after plucking and removes diseased birds. Inspection can be carried out by trained Poultry Inspection Assistants (PIAs) working under FSA supervision.

The use of a mirror is sometimes necessary to guarantee a full inspection.

PIA tend to complete the plucking by hand and not to concentrate on possible lesions. 

Carried out by PIAs:

• Badly bled
• Badly bruised
• Machine torn

• Ascites
• Pododermatitis
• Skin lesions
• Broken wings, legs, etc

• Emaciation 

 Bird and contents stay together for Inspection.
- Edible and inedible offal separated

• Correlation of carcase and offal. 

Viscera or parts of viscera remaining in the carcase, except for the kidneys, must be removed entirely, if possible, and as soon as possible, unless otherwise authorised by the competent authority,

• A hygienic trimming system must be in place if the FBO decides to trim contaminated carcases.

• The FBO should have a system in place to deal with carcases or offal that fall on the floor.

• Batch inspection system.

• Sometimes difficult to keep correlation between carcass and offal. 

   

  All birds are to undergo post-mortem inspection (visual inspection only).

  • In addition, the OV is personally to carry out the following checks:

  • Daily inspection of the viscera and body cavities of a representative sample of birds, the minimum number to check is 300 birds or 20% of the flock whichever is the lowest.

  • A detailed inspection of a random sample, from each batch of birds having the same origin, of parts of birds or entire birds declared unfit for human consumption following post-mortem inspection

  • Any further investigations necessary when there is reason to suspect that the meat from the birds concerned could be unfit for human consumption. 

1. Pass meat as fit for human consumption:

• Identification mark applied.

 2. Partially unfit for human consumption:

• Part of carcase / offal disposed off,

Fresh poultry meat: poultry meat not stiffened by the cooling process, which is to be kept at a temperature not below -2°C and not higher than 4°C at any time.

• Maturation time: 8 hours for chicken and 12 hours for turkey.

• Frozen poultry meat: poultry meat which must be frozen as soon as possible within the constraints of normal slaughtering procedures and kept at a temperature no higher than -12°C at any time.

• The temperature must be stable and maintained, at all points in the product, at -12°C or lower, with possibly brief upward fluctuations of no more than 3°C. 

• Poultry carcases do not require a Health Mark but an ID Mark.

• The ID Mark is applied to products of animal origin by the food

business operator before placing on the market.

• The ID Mark demonstrates meat has been produced in accordance with the Hygiene Regulations and under veterinary supervision.

• If meat is unwrapped, repackaged or reprocessed, a new ID mark must be applied.