Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Malignant or multiple tumours
•
General soiling or contamination
•
Major lesions and ecchymoses
•
Extensive mechanical lesions, including those due to
extensive scalding
•
Insufficient bleeding
•
Residues of substances exceeding the authorised stan-
dards or residues of prohibited substances
•
Ascites
Parts of the carcase which show localised lesions or
contaminations not affecting the health of the rest of
meat are unfit for human consumption. It is essential
that condemned and suspect meat is kept separated from
meat for human consumption (Fig. 10.16).
Trimming of carcases may be delayed until after chill-
ing, provided that:
1
There is no risk of contamination to other carcases.
2
Trimming is done under the supervision of MHI at
regular times.
The OV and the FBO should agree recognised meth-
ods (i.e. marking and identification of parts to be
trimmed) to ensure that trimming is properly carried
out by plant staff.
The professional judgement of the OV should be used
in assessing whether birds are fit for human consump-
tion or whether rectification is required.
Poultry carcases, in licensed premises, are only
allowed to be cut into parts and boned in approved cut-
ting rooms. They must be chilled to not more than +4°C
before cutting proceeds unless the slaughter room and
the cutting room are near each other and located in the
same group of buildings and the meat is transferred in
one operation by an extension of the mechanical han-
dling system.
Cutting must be carried out immediately, and once
cutting and packaging are complete, the meat is placed in
the chilling room. Packaged fresh poultry meat must not
be kept in the same room as unpacked poultry meat.
Poultry disease is often multifactorial with, for exam-
ple, poor ventilation along with a viral disease acting
together with bacteria, for example,
Escherichia coli
(
E.
coli
), to produce generalised septicaemia resulting in
pericarditis, airsacculitis, perihepatitis and a congested
carcase.
Yogaratnam (1995) analysed results of examinations at
a poultry processing plant which received 33.65 million
birds from 87 commercial broiler growing units in 1992
(Table 10.3). High carcase rejection rates of 3% or more
were recorded in birds received from 13.2% of the rearing
houses, distributed among 48% of the growing units. The
higher rates of carcase rejection were found on the units
with an average flock size of over 100 000 birds and from
rearing houses with a population of more than 30 000
General contamination
It is the responsibility of the Food Business Organisation
(FBO) to produce safe meat. Poultry Meat Inspectors
confirm FBO actions and identify any specific risks.
Poultry meat, carcases and/or offal affected with
general consummation by faecal material, bile, grease
and disinfectants should be considered unfit for human
consumption.
A hygienic trimming system must be in place if the
FBO decides to trim contaminated carcases.
Any part of the carcase or offal affected with bile stain-
ing should be trimmed. Where plucking machines break
the skin, the underlying musculature should be consid-
ered to be contaminated and trimmed from the carcase.
The FBO should have a system in place to deal with
carcases or offal that fall on the floor. This could
include trimming affected parts and consideration of
the cleanliness of the floor. The OV/MHI should mon-
itor that no contaminated meat is released for human
consumption.
Guidelines on trimming poultry
Trimming must be carried out under the responsibility
of the meat inspection team (supervision of trimming
may be carried out by a PIA). Plant operatives should
carry out most trimming. The selection of lesions or
parts which require trimming must not be delegated to
untrained individuals.
Minor blemishes such as bruising may be trimmed at
one of the post-mortem inspection points, preferably
that following evisceration, to minimise contamination
of exposed meat.
Trimming of more serious conditions involving infec-
tion is usually impracticable with high line speeds, and
in these cases, an adjacent trimming area should be
provided.
Table 10.3
Percentages of broiler carcases rejected because
they were either DOA or diseased from farms with normal or
high rates of rejection of carcases
Farm rejection rate
Percentage of carcases
DOA
Disease conditions
Normal
0.22
1.09
High
0.42
5.12
Source: Yogaratnam (1995).
