White Meat Hygienic Dressing

Question 1

What are the cost and benefits of CO2 stunning for poultry?

Answer 1

Requires less staff and less training because no handling is required
BUT some ethical concerns regarding respiratory distress

Question 2

What must a Lairage have to legally house Poultry prior to slaughter? (3)

Answer 2

• All staff must have a certificate of competence that enables them to handle, stun, shackle and bleed animals
• A lairage must have a designated Animal Welfare Officer
• The lairage must be ventilated and temperature controlled

Question 3

Are poultry shackled dead or alive?

Answer 3

Depends on the stunning- shackled dead in controlled atmosphere stunning
Shackled alive for electrical stunning

Question 4

What is the minimum time between neck cutting and entering the scalding tank for poultry?

Answer 4

2 mins for turkey/ geese
1.5 mins for chickens

Question 5

What is the difference in scalding methods between fresh market and frozen market poultry?

Answer 5

Fresh Market- soft scald at 50 degrees
Frozen- hard scald at higher temperature 56 degrees

Question 6

What issues arise from the use of a scalding tank?

Answer 6

Faecal matter on the carcasses dissociate to form ammonium urate and uric acid which form a natural buffer system to maintain the tank pH at 6 - this, with the warm water is optimum for bacterial growth

Question 7

What is the purpose of the scalding tank?

Answer 7

Used to open the feather follicles allowing defeathering to occur

Question 8

Carcasses scalded at higher temperatures require less or more defeathering?

Answer 8

50% less defeathering

Question 9

What contamination issues arise at Evisceration of Poultry carcasses?

Answer 9

Once withdrawn, the viscera remain attached for inspection, hanging over the back of the carcase- this is where contamination of the carcase surface with Enterobacteriaceae species occurs if the intestines are damaged

Question 10

What do EU rules state regarding washing of Poultry carcasses?

Answer 10

Under EU regulations, chickens can be washed in chlorine of 0.5 parts per million
[or can just do plain water to remove gross contamination]

Question 11

How are poultry carcasses cooled?

Answer 11

Run through a counterflow current of water to decrease the temperature then chilled to 4 degrees by cold air and water jets

Question 12

What’s the most common pathogenic organism isolated from poultry carcasses?

Answer 12

E.Coli

Question 13

How would a carcass infected with Salmonellosis appear post mortem?

Answer 13

Septicaemia, Jaundiced, congested skeletal muscles
If it was chronic it would also have grey necrosis in the myocardium, pancreas and intestine

Question 14

What is the most common cause of diarrhoea in humans related to food consumption

Answer 14

Campylobacteriosis

Question 15

How are Pig Carcasses cleaned?

Answer 15

Ran through vertical scalding tank that use high pressured steam at 60 degrees

Question 16

What’s the best and worst method of removing hair on a Pig?

Answer 16

Singing with fire- best
Worse is dehairing/ scraping due to recontamination of the carcass from the utensils

Question 17

How are Rabbits stunned and slaughtered?

Answer 17

Stunned electrically and then can be killed via neck dislocation (USA Only), blunt force trauma or bleeding (UK)

Question 18

A rabbit has received a traumatic injury at the Lairage- would the carcass be condemned?

Answer 18

If a skin injury- yes as staphylococci infection and abscessation are common
Broken bones, bruising etc would depend on severity of injury

Question 19

What is Tyzzers disease?

[rabbits]

Answer 19

Acute haemorrhagic enteritis and necrosis of the ileum caused by Clostridium Piliforme

[condemn the carcass]

Question 20

What are the signs a Rabbit Carcass is infected with Myxomatosis?

Answer 20

Conjunctivitis, swollen eyelids, Splenomegaly

[condemn the carcass]