Cover
FAO ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH PAPER 49






Manual for the slaughter of small ruminants in developing countries




CONTENTS

by
St. John A. Clottey
FAO Consultant

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

M-25
ISBN 92-5-102271-2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Applications for such permission, with a statement of the purpose and extent of the reproduction, should be addressed to the Director, Publications Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Via delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 1985
© FAO

Hyperlinks to non-FAO Internet sites do not imply any official endorsement of or responsibility for the opinions, ideas, data or products presented at these locations, or guarantee the validity of the information provided. The sole purpose of links to non-FAO sites is to indicate further information available on related topics.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Objectives and Scope of the Manual
1.2 Need to Improve Slaughter Practices
2. PREMISES FOR SLAUGHTER
2.1 Types of Slaughter Premises
2.2 S i t i ng
2.3 Layout
2.4 Materials for Construction and Installation
3. FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS
3.1 Water and Drainage
3.2 Lighting and Ventilation
3.3 Basic Equipment
3.4 Orientation of Slaughter Floor Activities
3.5 Slaughtering Tools
4. SELECTING ANIMALS FOR SLAUGHTER
4.1 Influence of Traditional Preferences
4.2 Criteria for Selection
5. TRANSPORT, HANDLING AND CARE OF ANIMALS
5.1 Reasons and Guidelines for Trucking Animals
5.2 Animal Holding and Care
6. SLAUGHTERING PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES
6.1 Forms of Slaughter
6.2 The Humane Method and Conventional Techniques for Slaughter
6.3 Traditional and Ritualistic Slaughter
7. STORAGE AND CONSIGNMENT OF MEAT
7.1 Cooling (Short-Term)
7.2 Prolonged Cooling and Freezing
7.3 Edible Offal
7.4 Other Considerations
8. PRINCIPLES OF SLAUGHTER HYGIENE
8.1 Basis and Criteria
8.2 Sources of Bacterial Contamination of Meat and Ways to Avoid Them
9. SANITATION AND WASTE DISPOSAL
9.1 Objectives and Scope of Sanitation
9.2 Location and Layout
9.3 Construction and Facilities
9.4 Cleaning Operations
9.5 Waste Disposal
9.6 Vermin and their Control
10. BYPRODUCT UTILIZATION
10.1 Definition of a Byproduct
10.2 Hide and Skin Curing
10.3 Meat/Bone Meal Production
10.4 Production of Blood Meal
10.5 Manure, Compost and Biogas
APPENDIX I - Tables
APPENDIX II - References and Selected Reading

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No.
1Location of Slaughter Premises and Auxiliary Units
2Sheep and Goat Slaughtering Tools
3Dressing the Animal Body
4Schematic Breakdown of Ruminant Slaughter Products
5Air Drying of Hides and Skins by the Frame and Loop Methods Respectively
6A Simple Tent Solar Dryer
7Sketch of a Bunker for Composting Manure