Carry out manual bleeding operations
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to carry out manual bleeding of meat or poultry species in food operations. Carrying out manual bleeding operations is important to the production of meat or poultry that is fit for human consumption, adheres to welfare regulations and meets quality specifications.
You will need to be able to prepare work area, tools and equipment and to carry out sticking and bleeding. You also need to show you can carry out sticking and bleeding operations adhering to regulatory and organisational welfare and quality standards.
You must also know how to address problems and adhere to regulatory standards and standard operating procedures and be able to apply your skills and knowledge within food safety and health and safety regulations and any relevant international industry codes. You should also have an understanding of how the green circular economy supports repeated use of resources and products within your organisation.
This standard is for you if you work in food operations and are involved in manual bleeding operations.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- prepare to carry out sticking and bleeding according to organisational requirements
- wear and use personal protective equipment according to regulatory standards and organisational requirements
- check availability of work area, tools and equipment and that they are clean and safe to use
- check availability of animal or bird for bleeding
- check the animal or bird is insensible to pain before bleeding and deal with any that might still feel pain
- move the animal or bird into the position for bleeding
- use the tools for bleeding according to organisational requirements and regulatory standards
- sever blood vessels to make sure that blood is released from the carcass rapidly
- maintain food hygiene during bleeding according to organisational requirements and standards
- make animal or bird available to the next stage of processing
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- why it is important to follow organisational and regulatory quality and welfare requirements and standards when carrying out manual bleeding operations
- how to access organisational standard operating procedures
- why meat and poultry species are bled before human consumption
- the tools and equipment needed to carry out manual bleeding operations
- how to maintain tools and equipment for bleeding and cutting to ensure they are effective, safe and meet the required hygiene standards
- why it is important to check the cleanliness of tools and equipment
- how to handle the animal or bird to maintain its quality
- quality and welfare problems resulting from improper sticking or cutting of meat or poultry species
- ways of ensuring animals are insensible to pain before sticking and bleeding and why that is important
- how to check for signs of ineffective stunning
- how to carry out sticking or bleeding operations to maximise bleeding
- how ineffective bleeding can lead to wastage, potential customer complaints and lost revenue
- the limits of your own authority and competence and why it is important to work within those limits
- what recording, reporting and communication is needed, how to carry this out and the reasons why it is important to do so