IMPMP110  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.

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:

  1. prepare to carry out sticking and bleeding in according to organisational requirements and standards
  2. wear and use personal protective equipment according to regulatory standards and organisational requirements
  3. check availability of work area, tools and equipment and that they are clean and safe to use
  4. check availability of animal or bird for bleeding
  5. work within the limits of your responsibility, reporting problems to the relevant people
  6. check the animal or bird is insensible to pain before bleeding and deal with any that might still feel pain
  7. move the animal or bird into the position for bleeding
  8. use the tools for bleeding according to organisational requirements and regulatory standards
  9. sever blood vessels to make sure that blood is released from the carcass rapidly
  10. maintain food hygiene during bleeding according to organisational requirements and standards
  11. make animal or bird available to the next stage of processing

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand

  1. why it is important to follow organisational and regulatory quality and welfare requirements and standards when carrying out manual bleeding operations
  2. how to access organisational standard operating procedures
  3. why meat and poultry species are bled before human consumption
  4. the tools and equipment needed to carry out manual bleeding operations
  5. how to maintain tools and equipment for bleeding and cutting to ensure they are effective, safe and meet the required hygiene standards
  6. why it is important to check the cleanliness of tools and equipment
  7. how to handle the animal or bird to maintain its quality
  8. quality and welfare problems resulting from improper sticking or cutting of meat or poultry species
  9. ways of ensuring animals are insensible to pain before sticking and bleeding and why that is important
  10. how to check for signs of ineffective stunning
  11. how to carry out sticking or bleeding operations to maximise bleeding
  12. how ineffective bleeding can lead to wastage, potential customer complaints and lost revenue
  13. why it is important to work within the limits of your responsibility and report problems to the relevant people

Keywords: Food; Meat; poultry; manual bleeding; production