INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT

THESIS STATEMENT:
In Asia and the Pacific region, consumers have become increasingly
concerned with the improved safety of meat and are putting pressure on
governments to initiate substantial hygienic improvements in the abattoir sector. To
assist our country Islamic Republic of Pakistan, I initiated a technical study to
gather updated information and develop strategies to upgrade the abattoir sector,
with a focus on small- to medium-sized slaughter facilities.
The abattoir sector in this region is composed of three markedly different
groups. The first are the relatively new, well equipped and hygienically operating
abattoirs that produce for export or domestic quality meat markets. The second are
large abattoirs in major cities that were built a long time ago and function in an
unsatisfactory state of repair, creating tremendous pollution problems primarily in
the inner city areas and with products which often do not meet hygienic standards.
The third and largest group is composed of small- to medium-sized private or
municipal abattoirs. This group entails a wide scope of types and categories in
terms of availability and quality of equipment and slaughter hygiene, ranging from
acceptable handling procedures to absolutely disastrous and hazardous practices
that result in heavily contaminated meat and serious food safety risks.
The overwhelming majority of private and public slaughterhouses in the
region cater to traditional meat markets with hot or unrefrigerated meat. This is
the sector where profound technical and hygienic improvements are needed in
order to supply clean meat to consumers. Improvements are urgently required for
practically all elements within the chain of handling slaughtered animals,
slaughtering and carcass dressing as well as meat cutting and deboning.
This project highlights the findings of the research study and provides
recommendations on technical improvements for simple and better quality
slaughter facilities. In addition, it presents example of practical solutions such as
advanced line-slaughter systems, designs for booth slaughter, methods of abattoir
effluent treatment and the like.