Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10.23
Cut-up line - wing processing (Reproduced with permission from Stork Poulty Processing, Boxmeer, The Netherlands).
Poultry must be inspected immediately after slaughter
under suitable lighting (540 lux). The surface of the bird's
body, excluding head and feet, except where they are
intended for human consumption, the viscera and the
body cavities must be subjected to visual inspection and,
where necessary, palpation and incision.
Attention must also be paid to anomalies of consist-
ency, colour and smell in the carcases, major anomalies
resulting from the slaughtering operations and proper
functioning of the slaughter equipment.
The OV must give a detailed inspection of a random
sample of the birds rejected in the post-mortem health
inspection and examine a random sample of 300 birds,
taken from the entire consignment, by inspecting the
viscera and body cavities.
He must carry out a special post-mortem if there are
other indications that the meat from the poultry could
be unfit for human consumption. In the case of partly
eviscerated poultry ('effile') whose intestines were
removed immediately, the viscera and the body cavities
of at least 5% of the poultry from each consignment will
be inspected after evisceration. If anomalies are discov-
ered in a number of birds, then all of the consignment
must be examined as previously mentioned.
In the case of NYD poultry, the birds will be examined
as described earlier, no longer than 15 days after slaugh-
ter, and kept at 4°C or below.
Taking of samples for residues must be carried out
by spot checks and in any event of justified suspicion.
The OV also has the authority to ask for laboratory
tests to be carried out to aid diagnosis or to detect
pharmacological substances. Should the OV consider
that hygienic processing or health inspection is not
being adequately carried out, he or she can lower the
line speed or stop production.
The results of the inspections should be recorded and
where necessary communicated to the competent vet-
erinary authority (of the holding from which the birds
originated) and the owner of the flock of origin who will
pass this information to the OV carrying out the ante-
mortem inspection during the subsequent production
period.
Many of the diseases listed in the following will rarely
be encountered in the poultry plant.
Decision of the official veterinarian at the
post-mortem inspection
Poultry meat is declared totally unfit for human con-
sumption where the post-mortem inspection reveals any
of the following conditions:
•
Generalised infectious diseases and chronic localisa-
tions in organs of pathogenic micro-organisms trans-
missible to humans
•
Systemic mycosis and local lesions in organs suspected
of having been caused by pathogenic agents transmis-
sible to humans, or their toxins
•
Extensive subcutaneous or muscular parasitism and
systemic parasitism
•
Poisoning
•
Cachexia
•
Abnormal smell, colour or taste
