Slaughter, Dressing and Carcass Hygiene

Hide, fleece, feathers, gastrointestinal contents, equipment, water and workers can transfer contamination to exposed tissue. Each dressing step should minimise contact and spread.

Facility flow, tools, hands and surfaces should prevent movement from dirty operations into clean carcass and edible-offal areas. Visible cleanliness alone does not measure microbial transfer.

Puncture, leakage, abscesses, faecal contamination and diseased tissue require controlled trimming, segregation and disposition under the applicable inspection system.

Water and authorised interventions can reduce contamination when properly applied, but they do not compensate for poor technique or spread contamination through aerosols and runoff.

Rapid hygienic transfer to chilling limits growth, while spacing and air movement affect cooling uniformity. Condensation and contact between carcasses can recontaminate surfaces.

Use trained staff, sanitary tools, inspection, defined trimming, intervention records and cold-chain controls. Reject raw materials when identity, condition or hygiene cannot be supported.