Prepare large game carcasses for entry into the human food chain

This standard is about preparing large game carcasses for entry into the human food chain.

It applies to deer, wild boar and in some circumstances feral sheep and goats.

It relates to the activities that you undertake to prepare large game carcasses (referred to by the Food Standards Agency as “primary wild game products”) for supply to an approved game-handling establishment (AGHE) in order that they can legally enter the human food chain.

You will be able to:

• hygienically transport large game carcasses
• store large game carcasses so that their condition is maintained
• inspect large game carcasses, according to legal  requirements
• prepare large game carcasses to be sold for human consumption.

1. carry out work safely, in line with health and safety requirements
2. bleed and gralloch large game carcasses hygienically and efficiently
3. ensure preparation and storage areas are in a hygienic condition, suitable for receiving large game carcasses
4. transport and store large game carcasses in a hygienic manner to maintain quality, in accordance with the relevant legal requirements
5. carry out work hygienically, in line with food safety regulations
6. identify the status of large game carcasses
7. inspect carcasses, organs and lymph sites for normality, according to legal requirements
8. prepare large game carcasses for entering the human food chain, as a primary product, according to legal requirements
9. take appropriate action when a carcass abnormality is identified, according to legal requirements
10. clean and store tools and equipment after use
11. maintain accurate records according to relevant legal requirements
12. prepare individual carcass declarations according to legal requirements
13. dispose of by-products from large game preparation in a safe manner, according to legal requirements

1. the health and safety requirements associated with the preparation of large game carcasses
2. the proper techniques to be used to handle and transport large game carcasses and the damage that incorrect handling practices can cause
3. your responsibilities under the current food hygiene regulations, including the principles of traceability and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), as they apply to the supply of large game carcasses for human consumption
4. the industry codes of practice controlling the transport, storage and preparation of large game carcasses including the requirements for chilling
5. how to inspect large game carcasses to establish if their condition is acceptable to enter the human food chain, including the smell and appearance of carcasses, organs and lymph sites
6. the notifiable diseases and the action that should be taken
7. the quality requirements for game meat entering the human food chain including acceptable levels of flesh damage
8. the proper techniques used to bleed, gralloch and eviscerate large game carcasses
9. how to identify the reproductive status of a female large game carcass
10. the action to take if carcass abnormalities are identified
11. the legal requirements controlling the disposal of by-products
12. the legal requirements controlling record keeping, labelling and traceability for primary products entering the food chain
13. the individual declaration from the trained person to accompany each carcass to the approved game handling establishment (AGHE)

Maintain accurate records of:

• carcass details
• culling details

Status:

• sex
• weight
• reproductive state
• age class
• condition

Hygienic – clean and free from disease/germs

Gralloch - remove all or partial green and/or red offal from large game carcasses

Dress large game by removing:

• head
• feet
• viscera
• reproductive organs

Large game:

• deer (all types)
• wild boar
• feral sheep (in certain circumstances)
• feral goats (in certain circumstances)

Primary wild game products – in-fur game that has undergone no more than any necessary preparation that is part of normal hunting practice, usually evisceration.

Trained person – someone who has undergone appropriate training accepted by the Food Standards Agency (FSA)