Home > Sanitary and hygienic requirements for a small slaughter house

General requirement:

No Objection Certificate from the Municipality or Panchayat and State Pollution Control Board to be obtained.

Premise Requirements:

• Every such establishment/Slaughter House shall make separate provision in the slaughter hall for the slaughter of different species of animals and for different methods of slaughter. After every type of operation, the slaughter house shall be cleaned, washed & sanitized.
• The slaughter house shall have adequate separation between clean and dirty sections. The rooms and compartments where edible products are handled shall be separate and distinct from the rooms and compartments for inedible products.
• The slaughter house shall have a reception area/resting area/lairage with a facility of un[1]loading ramp and shall have facilities for watering and examining animals, slaughter room/hall, ancillary accommodation and refrigeration facilities.
• The lairage shall be adequate in size for the number of animals to be laired.
• All the floors in lairage, slaughter hall, work rooms shall be impervious and non-slippery material.
• The internal walls will be paved with impervious glazed tiles upto 1 meter height in case of small animal ruminants and 5 meter height in case of large ruminants.
• Ceiling or roofs shall be so constructed and finished to minimize condensation, mould development, flaking and accumulation of dirt.
• The establishments/Slaughter Houses shall be so constructed and maintained as to permit hygienic production, easy cleaning & proper disposal of wastages.
• Windows, doors and other openings should be fitted with screening which shall be fly proof.

Facilities:

• There shall be efficient drainage and plumbing systems and all drains and gutters shall be properly and permanently installed. There shall be adequate provision for the disposal of slaughter house waste.
• The drainage system for blood shall be underground with facility for easy cleaning or a portable receptacle with lid.
• A constant and sufficient supply of clean potable cold water with pressure hose pipes and supply of hot water preferably shall be made available in the slaughter hall during working hours. Both cold and hot water shall be identified with separate colour.
• Suitable and adequate facilities shall be provided for persons working in the slaughter house for changing and cleaning their footwear, cloths and cleaning their hands before entering rooms used for the preparation and storage of meat.
• Adequate facilities for latrines, toilets and change rooms etc. shall be ensured.
• Suitable and sufficient facilities shall be made available at convenient places with in the slaughter house for the sterilisation of knives and other equipment used in the slaughter house.
• All slaughter house refuge and waste materials will be dumped in pits that are suitably covered as this material could be composted which can be used for manure purpose and this will prevent its access to scavengers and protect environment.

Sanitary Practices:

• All operations in connection with the slaughtering, processing & preparation or packing of meat/meat food products shall be carried out under strict hygienic conditions. No portion of the establishments/Slaughter Houses premises shall ever be used for living or sleeping purposes unless it is separated from the abattoir by a wall.
• Every part of the internal surface of the walls and every part of the floor and pavement of the slaughter house shall be kept in good order and repair at all time, so as to prevent the absorption therein of any blood or liquid refuse or filth which may be spilled or splashed thereon or offensive or noxious matter which may be deposited there in or brought into contact therewith and subsequently sanitized suitably.
• Every part of the internal surface above the floor or pavement of such slaughter house shall be washed thoroughly with hot lime wash.
• Every part of the floor or pavement of the slaughter house and every part of the internal surface of every wall on which blood or liquid refuse or filth may have been spilt or splashed or with which any offensive or noxious matter have been brought into contact during the process of slaughtering, dressing and cutting, shall be thoroughly washed and cleaned with water and sanitized within three hours after the completion of slaughter.
• Animals suspected of contagious or infectious diseases shall be segregated and kept in separate pens.
• The slaughtering of an animal shall not be done in the sight of other animals. The dressing of the carcass shall not be done on floor.
• Rooms and compartments in which animals are slaughtered or any product is processed or prepared shall be kept sufficiently free from steam, vapours and moisture and obnoxious odours so as to ensure clean and hygienic operations. This will also apply to overhead structure in those rooms and compartments.
• All parts of the establishments/Slaughter Houses shall always be kept clean, adequately lighted and ventilated and shall be regularly cleaned, disinfected and deodorized. The Floorings shall be impervious and washed daily. Lime washing, colour washing or painting as the case may be, shall be done at least once in every twelve months. The floors, walls, ceilings, partitions, parts, doors and other parts of all structures shall be of such materials, construction and finish that they can be readily and thoroughly cleaned.
• All yards, outhouses, stores and all approaches to the establishments/ Slaughter Houses shall always be kept clean and in a sanitary condition.
• Suitable and sufficient receptacles furnished with properly fitted covers shall be provided for collection and removal of all garbage, filth and refuse from the slaughter house at convenient time to remove from the slaughter house for disposal.
• All blood, manure, garbage, filth or other refuse from any animal slaughtered and the hide, fat, viscera and offal there from, shall be removed from the slaughter house within 8 hours after the completion of the slaughtering and in such a manner and by such means as will not cause nuisance at the premises or elsewhere. Every such vessel or receptacle shall be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected immediately after use and shall be kept thoroughly clean when not in actual use.
• The inner side of the skin shall not be rubbed or caused to be rubbed upon the ground within any portion of the slaughter hall. Hides and skins shall not be dragged within the slaughter hall.
• Every practicable precautions shall be taken to exclude flies, rats, mice and vermin from the Slaughter Houses. The use of poisons for any purpose in rooms or compartments where any unpacked products is stored or handled is forbidden.
• Entry of dogs, cats, birds etc is prohibited.
• Water used in the Slaughter Houses shall be potable and suitable arrangements shall be made if bore well water is used for production of meat and meat products. As required by the licensing authority, the water shall be got examined chemically and bacteriologic ally by a recognized laboratory.
• ‘Hot meat’ meant for immediate sale need not be stored in cool conditions. It can be transported in suitable a hygienic and sanitary condition in clean containers with covers (lids) to the meat shops/selling units with adequate precautions to ensure that no contamination or deterioration takes place.
• The equipment and fittings in slaughter hall except for chopping blocks, cutting boards and brooms, shall be of such material and of such construction as to enable them to be kept clean. The implements shall be of metal or other cleansable and durable material resistant to corrosion.

Personnel Hygiene:

• No person suffering from infectious or contagious diseases shall be allowed to work in the slaughter house& meat processing unit. The workers shall be medically examined annually to ensure that they are free from infectious, contagious and other diseases. A record of these examinations signed by a registered medical practitioner shall be maintained for inspection.
• The staff shall be inoculated against the enteric group of diseases once a year and a certificate thereof shall be kept for inspection.
• In case of an epidemic, all workers should be inoculated or vaccinated.
• The workers working in processing and preparation shall be provided with proper aprons and head wears which shall be clean and tidy.

Stunning:

Animals are slaughtered by being first stunned and then bled out. Stunning can be affected through asphyxiating the animals with carbon dioxide, shooting them with a gun or a captive bolt pistol, or shocking them with electric current. The equipment utilized for stunning and slaughter shall be maintained in good working condition and that all operators involved are well trained and have a positive attitude towards the welfare of animals.

Note: In case of ritual slaughter (Halal and Kosher) only non-penetrating, percussive mechanical stunning is permitted.

The following method of stunning shall be considered humane: —

Mechanical stunning of cattle may be carried out by one of three methods; captive bolt stunning, mushroom head percussive stunning and pneumatic percussive stunning. For cattle, pneumatic stunning should be preferred and the optimum position is that the centre of the stunner should contact the animal at a point of intersection of lines drawn from the medial corners of the eyes and the base of the ears. The best position for pigs is on the midline just above eye level, with the host directed down the line of the spinal cord. The optimum position for sheep and goat is behind the poll, aiming towards the angle of the jaw. If an animal shows signs of regaining consciousness after the initial stun, the animal must be immediately killed by the use of a captive bolt gun.

Electrical stunning – Electrical Head Stunners may be preferred for sheep and goat where both electrodes are placed on the head region. Water bath electrical stunning may be used for poultry birds. A low and controlled voltage must be maintained so that the stunning will not damage the heart and brain or cause physical disability and death to the animals. The minimum current level recommended for stunning are indicated in the table below.

#Note: In case of ritual slaughter (Halal and Kosher) every care must be taken that birds do not die during electrical stunning, otherwise it is not considered to be fit for human consumption.

Gas stunning – Stunning of pigs by exposure to carbon dioxide (CO2) may be preferred. The concentration of CO2 should be 90% by volume but shall not be less than 80% by volume. Ideally pigs should be exposed for 3 minutes. Sticking should be done immediately after exit from the gas chamber. Over-crowding of animals should be avoided in the gas chamber.

Ante mortem & Post mortem Inspection:

All animals shall be subjected to ante-mortem examination and Post mortem inspection by the authorised veterinarian. The Veterinary Doctor should be made available or deployed for the purpose by the concerned Panchayats/ Municipalities responsible for local administration and may make deputation arrangements for availing the services of qualified Veterinary staff available with the Animal Husbandry Depts., of the concerned State/U.T. in the country for meat inspection.

Carcasses, parts and the organs thereof found to be sound, wholesome, healthful and fit for human consumption shall be marked as “Inspected and passed”.

Humane Slaughtering methods shall be used for slaughtering.

Destruction of condemned carcasses, organs or parts thereof shall be carried out under the direct supervision of the authorised veterinarian.

Water requirement:

The water used shall be potable and be tested once in a month for microbiological & chemical quality. The management shall keep all the records of water testing.

Plant waste disposal:

The issues related to eco-friendly disposal of solid & liquid waste i.e. Sewage Treatment Plant & Effluent Treatment Plant shall be as per norms & standards prescribed by CPCB & respective State Pollution Control Boards.

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