Break down red meat carcasses
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to breakdown a complete red meat carcass into sections that will require further processing. This includes carcasses of Beef, Lamb, Pork, Goat, Veal and Venison. This competence highlights the importance of making choices regarding the quality meat being cut and ensuring that care is taken to reduce damage to the meat. Knowing how to breakdown whole red meat carcasses is a key skill required by those working at an advanced level in the meat processing industry. This standard is for you if you work in food manufacture and/or supply operations and are involved in breaking down complete red meat carcasses.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Prepare work areas for the breakdown of red meat
carcasses
prepare to break down red meat carcasses in accordance with
organisational standards
wear and use personal protective equipment in accordance with
regulatory standards and organisational requirements
check the availability and cleanliness of work area, tools and
equipment
check that the carcass is securely suspended
source product specification for carcass breakdown
agree plans for production with relevant personnel
address problems within the limits of your responsibility
Break carcass into separate cuts
follow organisational specification for the range of cuts required
check meat adheres to visual quality specification
take effective action if the meat does not meet quality
specification
remove offal and store in accordance with organisational
requirements
maintain quality of meat and poultry when handling
identify and act upon opportunities to recover and utilise waste
comply with health, safety, food safety and organisational
requirements
present the completed product to the relevant personnel for
approval
store waste for disposal according to organisational requirements
Check quality of products
review the quality and quantity of product against specification
report on the volume of product produced
store the completed product in accordance with organisational
requirements
provide advice and guidance on the appropriate packing,
wrapping and storage for the product
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
how to access organisational procedures
- the organisational and regulatory procedures that must be
adhered to when breaking down red meat carcasses
- the personal protective equipment required when breaking down
carcasses
- the tools and equipment needed to cut complete carcasses,
including the range of hoists, saws, and knives
- why it is important to have hygienically clean personal protective
equipment, work area, tools and equipment when breaking down
carcasses
- how to access the organisational specifications for the specific
primary cuts required
- why it is important to adhere to the specific meat product
specification
- the importance of keeping waste to a minimum when breaking
down carcasses, its effect on yield and potential loss of revenue
how to check meat product yield against product specification
why it is important to check for yield when producing meat
products
- the importance of carrying out quality checks against
organisational specifications
- the different types of waste occurring as a result of producing
primary cuts during carcass breakdown
how waste products should be stored for disposal
why it is important to work within the limits of your responsibility
and report problems to the relevant people