Modern Slaughterhouse

1. Infrastructural Requirement of
modern slaughterhouse
Dr Pavan Kumar
Assistant Meat Technologist
Deptt of LPT, GADVASU, Ludhiana

2. Abattoir
Slaughter house – technically referred as
Abattoir.
Traditionally called- butcheries, giving negative
feeling due to foul smell, unhygienically disposal
of wastes.
SH- place where animals meant for human
consumptions are sacrificed.
Public acceptance - concern

3. Types of abattoir
Modern abattoir
Semi-modern-Facilities for slaughter and
bleeding on the floor but subsequently entire
dressing, washing, halving and quartering takes
place on the rails in hoist position
Traditional abattoir

4. Considerations
 Policy decisions-
Site, size, trade practices and range of
byproducts
 Engineering aspects-layout
plan
 Cost consideration
 Infrastructure depends upon the-
 Maximum daily kill
 A regular full time operation
 Disposal & treatment of waste
 Byproducts utilization

5. Selection of site
Outskirt of the town or city
 Elevated ground for easy draining
Adequate and potable water
Concrete road facilities for transportation
Uninterrupted electric supply
 Space for future expansion
Away from airport
Social and religious acceptance
 Free from pollution, odour, chemical plants etc

6. Contd--
Availability of skilled manpower
Availability of meat animals
Soil quality- to support good foundations and
pillars of the buildings
Separate entity i.e. reasonable distance from
other buildings
Separation of clean and dirty area

7. Size
• Depends on the number of animals of each species
to be slaughtered everyday
• Range of operation (slaughter/ dressing/ deboning/
packaging)
• Availability of fund
• Byproduct processing

9. Area requirement
Small
Abattoir
< 100 LU/
day
30,000
LU/year
1-2 acre
Medium
Abattoir
100- 200
LU/day
50,000LU/y
ear
2-4 acre
Large
Abattoir
> 200
LU/day
> ,1oo,ooo
LU/year
4-6 acre

10. Civil Infrastructure
Lairage
AM examination
Humane slaughter
Flaying, dressing and washing of the
carcasses
Hanging carcasses and edible offals
Byproducts handling
Inspection of meat and disposal of
condemned carcasses or part thereof
Staff welfare

12. Design
 Pig abattoir- separate due to specialized slaughter
and dressing procedure
 If joint slaughter house- slaughter at different times
with different slaughter line by 5 metre space or 3
metre high wall.
 Also separate Slaughter for horse and pig
Separate route for stock and meat vehicle
 Direction- toward East or West, window facing the
North
 Clear cut separation of clean and unclean section

13. Design contd-
• Forward flow of operations
• Direction of wind
• Provision for compressed air
• Adequate ventilation must to prevent excessive heat
and steam condensation
Floors-
– Single floor- minimizes the handling cost
– Building- 2 floors preferred
Ground floor- unclean operation
Top floor- clean operation
GRADIENT- 2cm/metre (1:50)

14. Building
Ceiling- 3 M height or more in evisceration & cleaning
section
 Flat & smooth ceiling
Materials- easy cleaned, concrete, ceramics, tiles
Avoid square angles/joints where material can
accumulate
 Floor- non-slippery
Doorways- 1.5 M, double acting doors, rust resistant
Window- insects/ rodents barriers
Road- turning circle- 14Mx15M & separate route for
stock & meat vehicle
Approach road- 6M

15. Water requirements
Pipes carrying cool water-painted
red
Main pipeline pressure- 20 psi
Hot water for cleaning- 82⁰C
10,000 litre/ tonne of dressed
carcass weight (1:10)
Storage- 1 day consumption

16. Contd
Pig = 454 Litres/day
Bovine = 272
Sheep =45
+25% extra at 15 psi
As per FAO bulletin 1978
Buffalo/cattle- 1000 lit
Sheep/goat- 100 lit
Pig- 450 lit

17. Drainage
Gradient- 1:50 for floors
Rate- 1 drain/36-40 sq m of floor
area
Separate for water and blood
Separate provision for water &
water containing manure
Blood drainage- 1:25 gradient,
valley size- 60 cm wide, trap
screen- 4 mm
Each floor drain- deep seal S
shape trap
 Direction- opposite from edible
product flow

18. Light
• Adequate natural light & provision
of artificial light.
• Artificial light- should not disturb
colour/ shadow
• Window- north facing to get solar
light
 Intensity
 Inspection point- 550 lux (50 ft
candle)
 Work rooms- 220 lux (20 ft)
 Chilling room- 110 lux (10 ft
 Measured at height of 0.9 M from the
floor except inspection point- 1.5 M

19. Stock
Western India
Cattle/ buffalo- 3 days 2 days
Sheep/ goat/pig- 2 days 1 days

20. Essential components
1. Lairage / livestock holding
pens
2. Slaughter hall
 Stunning section
 Bleeding section
 Skinning section
 Dressing section
 Evisceration section
 Postmortem section
3. Isolation block/
emergency slaughter unit
4. Chill rooms
5. Detained/condemned
meat rooms
6. Hide and skin store
7. Gut and tripe room
8. Offal room
9. Meat cutting room
10. Vet office & laboratory
11. Despatch room
12. Cloak room
13. Manure bay
14. Effluent plant

22. 1. Lairage
 Place where animals are rested
before slaughter
Knowledge of animal behavior
fundamental
 All stock – handled gently &
quietly
Animal- prefer walking up
slopes rather than down steep
gradient
Rails (cylindrical or tubular)-
easy to inspect
 Floors- solid, non-slippery
Drainage- not in centre

23. Lairage contd
Avoid sharp corners &
projections
Curved passageway,
narrow to prevent turning
No strindent voice & noise,
dark objects etc
Maintain social group i.e.
avoid social stress
Floor gradient- 1:50
Off-loading- 1.2 M height

24. Facilities at lairage
Ante-mortem room
Race
Adequate number of well
lighted pens
 Feeding (withhold 12 hrs
prior to slaughter) and
watering (ad-lib)
 Isolation pen
Competent lairage staff
Vet office

25. Pen size
Cattle (loose)- 2.3- 2.8 sq m (preferred one)
Cattle (tied)- more space (3.2 sq m)
Pig (bacon, small porker)- 0.6 sq m
Heavy pigs, calves & sheep- 0.7 sq m

26. Cattle lairage
• Water- in long water
troughs
• More sensitive to high
frequency sounds
• Water spraying in warmer
climate
• 7.6x6 M for 20-25 cattles
• Curved race- efficient as
animal entering race cannot
see the objetcs/ animals

27. Sheep lairage
 Rails & walls both
 Rails- less than 15 cm apart to prevent to put
head on lower rails of pens
 Height- 0.9 M
 Water- in troughs
 Judas /decoy sheep- to facilitate the movement
of sheep through a lairage, utilize the innate
tendency of sheep to follow one another by
training/ accustom one particular sheep to pass
through lairage leading others
• Cattle & sheep- combined in same building
• Pig & sheep- may be
• Cattle & pig- no as cattle do not like pig company

28. Pig lairage
• Rest more against a solid wall
• Rails- less than 15 cm apart to prevent
to put head on lower rails of pens
• Pen- long & narrow to rest against, avoid
fighting
• Electric goads- regulated (lowest
effective voltage < 50 volt)
 Comrade pigs- move only as a loose
group, preferring to move along beside
than behind each other
• Maximum number in a group- 15
• A fine spray of water
• Reduce fighting
• Reduce contaminations
• Cooling effect
• Not in cold waether

29. Ante-mortem Examination
• Place- in lairage
• Time- 12-24 hrs before slaughter by qualified
veterinarians
• Resting of animals- atleast for 24 hrs
• No feed for atleast 12 hrs before slaughter
• Ad-lib water

30. 2. Slaughterhouse/hall
From lairage animals are transferred to
slaughterhall
Better if an uper kill floor is used and site is on a
slope
Animal – directly walk to SH or ramp (1:6) can be
provided with battens & catwalk

31. Drive/
Race
 First animals reach to holding pen and
from here through drive/races driven to
stunning pen.
 Distance between slaughterhall to lairage
– 10 m
 Height- upto waist
 Stopgate- to prevent backward
movement
 Emergency gate
 Usually a curved path with single file
accommodation and stop gate.
 Animals - continuously being guided by a
lairage personnel to stunning pen

33. Stunning pen
Area where animals are made
are unconscious before killing
It’s design depends on type of
stunning procedure to be
followed
3 m in width to the opposing
wall/ bleeding trough
Fitted with upright bars 5 cm in
diameter & 1.2 M height,
spaced 40 cm intervals for
safety purpose
Steady frame for ejection
Stunning box of sheep/goat

34. Stunning/ Knocking box for pig

35. Stunning pen for cattle

36. Stunning equipments

37. Booth/Batch-slaughter
• In the booth system, abattoirs or slaughter spaces
are divided into many spots (“booths”), which allow
for the simultaneous slaughtering of a certain
number of animals (“batch”).
• The animals in a batch are each taken to a defined
floor area, slaughtered and dressed in that spot
• The simultaneous slaughtering often creates
congested conditions and hygienic problems.
carcasses.
• Identification of animal carcass easier

38. Line slaughter
Line slaughter- hoisting up the carcass at
an early stage, preferably beginning with the
bleeding. All subsequent slaughtering and
dressing procedures are carried out with the
carcass suspended on and moving along an
overhead rail (or line).
• Line slaughter is suitable for bovines, small
ruminants and pigs
• Not suitable for small scale

39. Bleeding
 In area with enough space
 Blood has got nutritional as well as
commercial importance and it
cannot be allowed in waste as in
traditional slaughter system
 Bleeding trough- at least 1.5 M
wide (Cattle) 1.1-1.2 M(S+G)
 Two point of reception- at actual
point of sticking and bleeding
thereafter
 Stainless hollow knife- for hygienic
collection of blood
 For small meat plant- individual
container for holding blood

40. Pig scalding,
dehairing & singeing
Pig scalding at 61-64⁰C for 6
min
Dehairer (if 240
pig/ 2-3 days
Singeing

41. Carcass dressing
 In this area a number of
operations are carried out such
as
i. removal of hide and skin,
ii. head removal,
iii. evisceration,
iv. splitting,
v. trimming
vi. final wash

42. Removal of hide & skin
hot galvanized steel pillar and stainless
steel skin removal roller
Hydraulic type cattle skin
removal
Sheep hide punching arm
Skinner
Sheep hide puller & roller arm
Dehider

43. Head & leg removal
Head- through occipital joint
Leg- forelegs- knuclebone
Hindleg- tendon
Feet cutting saw Foot and neck shear

44. Evisceration
Offal carrier

45. Carcass washing
Carcass is washed by high pressure spraying (19kg/cm2) with
available chlorine- 50-100ppm

46. Slaughter of cattle

47. Sheep SH
 Sheep- driven to a passageway adjoining to SH,
carried by hand into SH & placed on crates
(cradles, cratches, crutches) preparatory to
stunning & dressing
 Components-i.
Pen sheep & stun
ii. Shackle & hoist
iii. Stick
iv. De-elevate to crutch conveyor
v. Conveyor dressing (feet removal, commence
fleece removal, saw brisket)
vi. Elevate to overhead rail
vii. Clear tail & commence backing
viii. Back & chute fleece
ix. Removal of head
x. Eviscerate abdomen
xi. Wash

53. Height of Rails
Height Buffalo/cattl
e
Sheep/
goat
pig
Bleeding rail 16 ft (4.8 M) 10.5 ft
(3.15 M)
9 ft (2.7 M)
Dressing rail 11 ft (3.3 M) 10 ft (3 M) 7.5 ft (2.25
M)
Cooler rail 11 ft (3.3. M 9 ft (2.7 M) 6.5 ft (1.95
M)

58. Hide & skin store
Along with other by
products hide and skin
need to be stored before
dispatch
Their safe storage and
primary processing needs
a separate section.

59. Gut & Tripe
room
Here the initial separation
and emptying of stomachs
and intestine is carried out.

60. Red offal room
 Many of visceral organs have
commercial as well as food value.
 Liver, lungs, heart, kidney etc are
the organs, which should be
trimmed and then placed in a chill
or freezing room depending on
ultimate system of disposal
 The temperature of offal room
particularly those to be used, as
food should not exceed 30c
 Width of visceral inspection table-
1.5 M
 Table height- 2.7 M from conveyor
rail

61. Chill Room
 Dressed meat and edible offals –
immediate dispatched for sale
or
Chilled soon after the PM
 Chilling temperature- during storage
& transport
Carcass - < 7⁰C
Poultry - <4 ⁰C
offals- <3 ⁰C
MRM- < 2 ⁰C

62. Chill-room contd-
• Small rectangular chill rooms
• Increased chilling
• Less effect of frequent opening
& closing
• Free movement of cold air
around hang carcass
Cutting room- 10 – 12 ⁰C
Rail Spacing
Beef carcases- 0.9 M
 Pigs- 0.7 M
Lamb 0.5 M
With minimum space between
carcass- 0.3 to 0.4M

63. Rendering plant
deals with extraction of fat from carcass parts,
condemned carcass /diseased one by applying high
temperature processing.
The whole section of rendering plant may be
divided into edible fat section and inedible fat
section

64. Equipment wash
Adjacent to work a equipment
wash section must be designed
to avoid buggies, bins and
washing of equipment at
improper places
The one-way system of passing
in equipment wash section
ensures dirty equipments entry
from one side and exit of only
clean from other side
Available chlorine- 200-250ppm

65. Manure bay
A large amount of dung
from lariage house,
emptying of rumen and
intestine need a separate
section to deal with this
huge mass to avoid
problem of flies etc.

66. Veterinary office
and laboratory
This section should have
essential facilities and
equipments to carry out
inspection work
Facilities for microbiological
and quality control

67. Effluent treatment plant

68. Vehicle washing

69. Facilities for personnel
It includes-
 lockers toilets,
 urinals,
 Washbasins- 1 for 15 employees, near to
workplace, Available chlorine- 20 ppm, pedal
operated
 Boot washing
 changing areas,
 first aid room,
 laundry,
 parking areas,
 canteens,
 security arrangements etc

70. Storage