Alternative slaughter procedures: on-farm slaughter and transport system for broilers

Abstract

This paper focuses on "alternative methods for initial broiler processing" and exploration of alternative processing including slaughter at the farm immediately after catching. On-farm slaughter and transport (FSaT) is envisioned as a mobile unit that stuns, slaughters, and shackles the broiler carcasses at the farm. A separate trailer-unit then transports the shackled broiler carcasses to the processing plant. Once at the processing plant carcasses are mechanically transferred into plant shackle lines and moved into processing. The hypothesis is that the FSaT approach will dramatically improve overall bird welfare and well-being by reducing live handling and eliminating live transport from the farm to the processing plant. In addition, ancillary impacts could include: improving yield efficiencies by eliminating dead on arrivals, potentially reducing water and energy consumption, reducing labor requirements at the processing plant with the elimination of live rehang, and offering an economically sustainable alternative. The FSaT approach represents a radical change from traditional processing, and its effects on poultry processing need to be evaluated. This paper presents results of experiments conducted at a commercial poultry processor to evaluate feather picking efficiency, carcass bacteriological loading, and meat quality for delayed processed carcasses.

Keywords: carcass microbiology; defeathering; delayed processing; meat quality; poultry transport welfare.