Affiliation(s)
1. Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP)-Botucatu, SP and Harper Adams University, Newport, United Kingdom/Federal Inspection Agent of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, São Paulo 13.565-580, Brazil
2. Department of Animal Health, Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP)-Botucatu, São Paulo 18.610-307, Brazil
3. Food Marketing and Food Security, Department of Food Science, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB, United Kingdom
4. Animal Science, Department of Animal Production and Welfare, Harper Adams University, Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
Rapid technological
advances in chicken processing
in plants around the world have meant that different techniques are being employed
regarding the slaughter’s flow process. This paper aimed to compare and contrast systems and practices in
two large slaughterhouses—one in UK and the other in Brazil. Annotated observations were made during
inspection visits to chicken slaughterhouses in the two countries between 2014
and 2016. Whilst there were similarities in the two systems, there are also clear
differences. The Brazilian case is evidently adapted for a more tropical
condition, rather than the
temperate one in UK. The handling practices of birds used during transportation,
waiting, stunning as well as pre-cooling differ in techniques employed and consequently likely their efficiencies. In UK,
the practices are more geared towards water and energy saving. The difference
in market conditions and the length of the respective supply chains also
determine the type of primary packaging used in final products. Both countries adhere
to similar rulings applied to
slaughterhouses. However, in the Brazilian case, it tended to comply with mainly external market demands. In conclusion, managers in the Brazilian poultry
system could consider looking into adopting some of the practices used in UK, such as cage/crate dimension which
reduce bird’s lesions and bruises; the use of stunning by modified atmosphere
and pre-cooling for resource efficiency reasons and improvement in animal
welfare. Finally, when
distances between sites of production and consumption are great such as in
Brazil, the use of modified atmosphere technology could be also further
explored to ensure better quality of the final product.
KEYWORDS
Abattoir, chicken, food technology, food security, poultry.
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