ASEAN GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES

FOR
SLAUGHTERHOUSES AND MEAT CUTTING PLANTS

1. Introduction

Good manufacturing practices (GMP) for the production of animal products are
the needs for every country, including ASEAN member state, serving as the
recommended guidelines in manufacturing animal products. As ASEAN
progresses to a single economy, it is important for ASEAN to have uniform
standards for application and adoption. Thus, it is paramount to have an ASEAN
GMP to serve as guidelines by all ASEAN Member States.

ASEAN’s GMPs for Slaughterhouses and Meat Cutting Plants is established to

provide practical guidelines recommended for processing animals and their
products in the Slaughterhouses and the Meat Cutting Plants to ensure the
productions are safe for human consumption.

These GMPs provide general provisions for animal good manufacturing

practices for slaughtering as well as product-handling for ruminants, pigs and
poultry. Countries wishing to export such animal products would still have to
comply with the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) requirements and relevant
import conditions of the importing countries.

These GMPs on Slaughterhouses and Meat Cutting Plants are developed by the
ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Livestock.
2. Definition

2.1. A Slaughterhouse is a premise that is approved and registered by the

competent authority with certain design and sets of specific requirements,
used as a place to slaughter animals and may include meat cutting for the
general public’s consumption
2.2. Meat cutting plant is a premise with certain design and sets of specific
requirements, used as a place for meat cutting, deboning and distribution
of carcasses, according to carcass’ topography to produce meat for the
general public’s consumption.
2.3. Animals are cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep, pigs and poultry.
2.4. Animal products means animal meat and product thereof.
2.5. Consumption means the utilization of product as food for human.
2.6. Meat means skeletal muscle from the animal carcass that is fit for
consumption.
2.7. Animal by-product means any part of animal other than meat such as
blood, feather, nail, bone, fat, skin, brain and tongue.
2.8. Carcass means the body of an animal after dressing
2.9. Offal means parts of an animal, apart from the meat from the carcass and
fat, that are considered fit for human consumption, e.g., liver, kidney,
heart, stomach/gizzard, intestine, spleen, lung, bronchus and genital
organs.”
2.10. Ante-mortem inspection means any procedure or test conducted by a
competent person on live animals for the purpose of judgement of safety
and suitability and disposition.
2.11. Post-mortem inspection means any procedure or test conducted by a
competent person on all relevant parts of slaughtered/killed animals for
the purpose of judgement of safety and suitability and disposition.

3. Requirements on Location
3.1 Location of Slaughterhouses and Meat Cutting Plants shall observe
among others the following requirements:
3.1.1 location is not situated in areas that are prone to flood, landslides, and
the premises is protected against contamination such as smoke, smells,
and dusts; does not cause disturbances and environmental pollution;
 3.1.2 has its own access to sufficient clean water for slaughter, cleaning and
disinfection activities; meet the minimum requirements for sufficient clean
water quality standards;
3.1.3 good road access to the slaughterhouses which is passable by the
transport vehicles transporting animals and carcasses/meats;
3.1.4 sufficient and sustainable supply of electricity;
3.1.5 access to waste disposal;
3.1.6 has sufficient land according to the scale or capacity of slaughter.

4. Requirements on Facilities, Buildings and Equipment

4.1. Slaughterhouses
4.1.1. Required Facilities
4.1.1.1. availability of solid and liquid waste management;
4.1.1.2. availability of carcass/meat transporting vehicles;
4.1.1.3. slaughterhouse complex must be fenced with access control to
prevent unauthorized people and other animals to come in and out of
the complex;
4.1.1.4. slaughterhouse complex should have separate entry points/lanes for
the entry of live animals with the exit of carcass/meat/offal. Otherwise,
disinfection facilities (e.g., wheel dips) to be provided.

4.1.2. Building requirements

4.1.2.1. Building and layouts
4.1.2.1.1. main building must have separate assigned places for dirty and
clean areas with different entry of personnel, where process flow is
design from dirty area to clean area;
4.1.2.1.2. layouts are designed in such a way to meet the needs of the process
flow and to allow sufficient space to ensure all slaughter activities to
proceed well and in a hygienic way;
4.1.2.1.3. must have areas and facilities assigned to perform ante-mortem and
post-mortem inspections, including condemned parts facilities;
4.1.2.1.4. Adequate natural or artificial lighting should be provided throughout
the establishment. Where appropriate, the lighting should not alter
colours and the intensity should not be less than: 540 lux (50 foot
 candles) at all inspection points, 220 lux (20 foot candles) in work
rooms, and 110 lux (10 foot candles) in other areas;
4.1.2.1.5. Lighting fixtures should, where appropriate, be protected to ensure
that carcass and meat are not contaminated by breakages and easy
to clean;
4.1.2.1.6. inner walls are light coloured, must be flat and made of waterproof
materials, not easily corrosive, non-toxic, not easy to peel, resistant
to hard collisions, easy to clean and disinfect;
4.1.2.1.7. floor is made of waterproof materials, non-corrosive, non-slippery,
non-toxic, slopes towards drain, easy to clean and disinfect;
4.1.2.1.8. floor surface must not be bumpy with no gaps nor holes;
4.1.2.1.9. meeting points between walls and floors are curved;
4.1.2.1.10. ceilings are designed to prevent accumulation of dirt, mould
formation and in-room condensation, light-coloured, not easily
peeled off, strong/durable, easy to clean, not leaking;
4.1.2.1.11. building construction must be designed to prevent pests and wild
animals, including mice/rats/rodents, insects, birds and other
animals to enter and nest inside the building;
4.1.2.1.12. provided with proper and sufficient ventilation system for good in-
building air circulation, where proper, suitable equipment should be
in place.;
4.1.2.1.13. windows, doors and door frames must be made from materials that
are non-corrosive, water proof, hard-impact resistant, easy to clean
and disinfect.

4.1.2.2. Animal unloading area and shelter/animal resting cages

4.1.2.2.1. Animal unloading area must be equipped with facilities to unload the
animals from the transporting vehicles designed according to animal
welfare aspect;
4.1.2.2.2. Floor height must be appropriate for the height of the transport
vehicles’ boxes, such that animals do not have difficulties getting off
the transport vehicles;
4.1.2.2.3. Floor is made from materials that are durable, water proof, non-
slippery and sloped towards the drains and easy to clean and
disinfect;
4.1.2.2.4. drains are designed in such a way so that the waste can flow easily;
4.1.2.2.5. roof is made from materials that are strong/durable, non-toxic and can
well protect against heat/sunlight and rain;
4.1.2.2.6. Sufficient lighting for stock handlers to observe the condition of the
animals;
4.1.2.2.7. Animal unloading and resting areas including resting cages should be
adequately ventilated to ensure that waste gases (e.g., ammonia) do
not build up. Humidity level should be appropriate so that the animal
physiological condition is not compromised.
4.1.2.2.8. shelter/animal resting cages is designed to enable the ante-mortem
inspection process undertaken.
4.1.2.2.9. for ruminants and pig slaughterhouses:
4.1.2.2.9.1. shelter/temporary cages are designed according to the sufficient
coverage area to allow livestock to stand, turn around, lie down
comfortably;
4.1.2.2.9.2. drinking water for the livestock is provided and is designed to slope
towards the drainage to make it easy to clean;
4.1.2.2.9.3. gang way is available from cages to slaughter area that meets
requirements:
4.1.2.2.9.3.1. connects directly with the main building;
4.1.2.2.9.3.2. no sharp angles, no colour nor light contrasts which may cause
the to be slaughtered livestock to stop moving, stressed out and
scare;
4.1.2.2.9.3.3. fits only one animal so that they will not be able to turn around
(for individual restraint);
4.1.2.2.9.3.4. covered/sheltered from sunlight and rains;
4.1.2.2.9.3.5. In order to prevent heat stress, animals subjected to high
temperatures, particularly pigs and poultry, should be cooled by
the use of water sprays, fans or other suitable means.

4.1.2.3. Isolation cages for sick and/or suspected ruminants and pigs;
4.1.2.3.1 its location should be separated from the shelter/resting cages or be
part of shelter/animal resting cages with distinctive separator.
4.1.2.3.2. other requirements for isolation cages follow the requirements for
shelter/animal resting cages.
4.1.2.4. aging room for ruminants and pigs;
4.1.2.4.1. the size of the aging room is adjusted to the number of carcasses
produced;
4.1.2.4.2. room is designed in such a way so that there is no water or liquid
wastes from other rooms to enter into the aging room;
4.1.2.4.3. room is equipped with carcass hangers designed so that carcasses
do not touch the floor or walls;
4.1.2.4.4. room has chilling facility to regulate the internal carcass temperature
when it reaches maximum of 4°C;
4.1.2.4.5. room is equipped with thermometer or temperature recorder that is
easy to monitor.

4.1.2.5. Carcass/meat loading area;

4.1.2.5.1. Floor height must be adjusted to the height of the carcass/meat
transport vehicles’ boxes;
4.1.2.5.2. Is equipped with hand-wash basin facility.

4.1.2.6. Carcass and/or animal by-products’ disposal facility:

4.1.2.6.1. Carcass and/or animal by-products’ disposal facility shall be isolated
and kept in separated area to prevent cross-contamination or
alternative methods to prevent cross-contamination should be in
place;
4.1.2.6.2. is able to dispose of carcasses and/or other animal by-products
effectively without causing public health and environmental
pollution’s hazards;
4.1.2.6.3. designed to be easily monitored and easily maintained as well as
meeting the public health and environmental requirements.

4.1.2.7. Waste management system.

4.1.2.7.1. has designated area for waste disposal;
4.1.2.7.2. has capacity according to the waste volume and type of waste
produced, e.g., solid waste and effluent;
4.1.2.7.3. designed to be easily monitored, maintained, not producing smells
and meeting the public health and environmental requirements;
4.1.2.8. Slaughterhouse complex producing fresh and chilled and frozen
carcasses/meat as the final products must be equipped with:
4.1.2.8.1. deboning room and cutting room (with temperature maintained
between 12 – 15°C):
4.1.2.8.1.1. the size of rooms is adjusted to the number of carcasses
produced with design and construction that ease the cleaning and
disinfection processes;
4.1.2.8.1.2. Adequate natural or artificial lighting should be provided
throughout the establishment. Where appropriate, the lighting
should not alter colours and the intensity should not be less than:
220 lux (20 foot candles) in work rooms.
4.1.2.8.1.3. doors are equipped with plastic curtains or other practices to
prevent the temperature variations;

4.1.2.8.2. Freezing facility (such as Air Blast Freezer, Individual Quick

Freezer);
4.1.1.2.2.1. is equipped with freezer to keep the internal carcass/meat
temperature when it reaches –18°C (length of freezing process is
adjusted to the types of animals);
4.1.1.2.2.2. is equipped with thermometer or other temperature recorders that
are easily monitored.

4.1.2.8.3. Chiller/Refrigerator
4.1..8.3.1. is equipped with chiller that can reach to and maintain the internal
carcass/meat temperature up to maximum of 4 C (chilled meat);
4.1..8.3.2. is equipped with thermometer or other temperature recorders that
are easily monitored.

4.1.2.8.4. Cold Storage;

4.1.1.8.4.1. For frozen carcasses/meats, the storage must be able to reach
and maintain the internal carcass/meat temperature to the
maximum of –18°C (frozen meat);
4.1.1.8.4.2. is equipped with thermometer or other temperature recorders that
are easily monitored.
4.2. Meat Cutting Plant
4.2.1. Facilities requirements:
4.2.1.1. Facilities directly contact carcass/meat/offal made from materials that
are non-toxic, not easy to break, non-corrosive and durable;
4.2.1.2. carcass and meat transportation must use refrigerated vehicles or
transport containers that can maintain the food products at the
required temperature;
4.2.1.3. if carcass and meat must be distributed in the chilled form at 4°C or
below, the carcass/meat internal core temperature must not exceed 7
°C;

4.2.1.4. if carcass and meat must be distributed in the frozen form at -18°C or
below, the carcass/meat internal core temperature must not exceed -
12°C.
4.2.2. carcass and meat transportation must use refrigerated vehicles or
transport containers that can maintain the food products at the required
temperature;
4.2.3. road access that is passable by carcass/meat transport vehicles;
4.2.4. Building requirements
Building consists of: deboning room and meat-cutting room; cold
storage; chiller/refrigerator room; packing room; carcass/meat loading
and unloading rooms (to and from transport vehicles); waste
management facilities. Requirements are the same as point 4.1.2

4.3. Slaughterhouse and Meat Cutting Plant Equipment Requirements:

4.3.1. all equipment must be made from materials that are not corrosive, easy
to clean and disinfect and easily maintained;
4.3.2. all equipment and surfaces that are in direct contact with carcass, meat
and offal must not be made from wood and/or other materials that are
toxic or easily corrosive, easy to clean and disinfect, and easily
maintained;
4.3.3. all metal equipment that are in direct contact with the carcass/meat and
offal must be made from materials that are non-corrosive,
strong/durable, unpainted, easy to clean and disinfect, and easily
maintained;
 4.3.4. lubricants used for equipment that are in direct contact with the
carcass/meat and offal must be under food-grade category;
4.3.5. tools to clean and disinfect the room and equipment must be sufficiently
provided so that cleaning and disinfection process can be implemented
well and effectively;
4.3.6. every entry point/door into the main building should come with the hand-
wash facility equipped with hands-free tap, liquid soap, disposable paper
towels, sanitizer as well as foot dip, with the volume of disinfectant
adjusted to the number of staffs working in the premises;
4.3.7. room and equipment’s cleaning and disinfection tools must be
sufficiently available to ensure the whole cleaning and disinfection
processes can be implemented well and effectively;
4.3.8. slaughter area must be at minimum equipped with:
4.3.8.1. restraint facilities;
4.3.8.2. equipment to place the animals after being slaughtered;
4.3.8.3. carcass hangers designed specifically to prevent carcasses from
touching the floor and walls;
4.3.8.4. post-mortem examination facilities and equipment;
4.3.8.5. Pig slaughterhouse is equipped with scalder and dehairing tools;
4.3.8.6. Poultry slaughterhouse is equipped with scalder and plucker tools,
while for ducks, food-graded wax shall be used.
4.3.9. Offal room at the minimum is equipped with facilities and equipment to
process offal.
4.3.10. Equipment and implements used for edible and inedible parts of animals
should be properly identified to avoid cross contamination

5. Handling Live Animals

5.1. Animal acceptance
5.1.1. Delivery of animal for slaughter should be scheduled. Animal health
document should be made available for checking.
5.1.2. Animals should be unloaded as soon as they arrive at the
slaughterhouse/abattoir. If not possible, containers should be unloaded,
or vehicles should be placed in lairage or in sheltered and adequately
ventilated area, promptly on arrival;
 5.1.3. Unloading of animals is performed carefully and gently by trained
officers to minimize the risks of the animals being stressed out and
injured;
5.1.4. Animal unloading facility must be able to prevent animals from being
injured, protected from heat/sunlight and rain;
5.1.5. Animal transporting facilities and infrastructures must be cleaned and
disinfected. Animal waste and bedding must be immediately removed or
disposed of.

5.2. Animal handling in the temporary/shelter/resting cages.

5.2.1. Animals that just arrived are grouped based on types, size and level of
aggressiveness;
5.2.2. Injured animals must be isolated and slaughtered first;
5.2.3. Sick animals must be separated in the isolation cages/pens;
5.2.4. Animals should be handled in such a way as to avoid harm, distress or
injury
5.2.5. Provide sufficient drinking water (ad libitum) except for poultry;
5.2.6. Animals held in containers must be slaughtered as soon as possible.
Animals which have not been slaughtered within 12 hours of their arrival
should be fed;
5.2.7. Dead animals must be disposed of, to prevent them into entering food
chain.

6. Animal Slaughter
6.1. any animal, upon arrival at the slaughterhouse, may be given sufficient
rest before slaughter;
6.2. Feed shall be appropriately withdrawn before slaughter;
6.3. ante-mortem inspection is performed by veterinarian or competent person
authorized by veterinary authority at the maximum of 24 hours prior to
being slaughtered;
6.4. slaughter is performed by stunning. In case of ritual or religious
slaughtering, the slaughter without stunning can be applied.
6.5. stunning can be done before slaughter is performed, using the appropriate
methods for the animal types and must adhere to the animal welfare
aspects;
 6.6. slaughter is performed according to the types of animals based on the
legislations applied;
6.7. animals may be further handled/processed only after the animal is
confirmed completely dead;
6.8. for ruminants, skinning and offal removal are performed right after
slaughter;
6.9. for pigs, scalding, dehairing and offal removal are performed right after
slaughter;
6.10. for poultry, scalding, plucking and offal removal are performed right after
slaughter;
6.11. post-mortem inspection is performed by veterinarian or competent person
authorized by veterinary authority against the heads (except poultry), offal
and carcasses;
6.12. use of food grade marker for markings on carcass;
6.13. carcass and meat handling must be performed in a hygienic manner to
prevent cross contamination, such as done in different room, using
different tools and equipment, different containers by different staff indoors
with that handling offal;
6.14. offal must be handled separately from carcasses/meats;

7. Human Resources/Technical Competency

7.1. Every slaughterhouse or meat cutting plant must have at the minimum of
one person to serve as the technical person in charge;
7.2. For slaughterhouse, the technical person in charge is responsible to the
implementation of Hygiene and Sanitation, Veterinary Public Health, safety
and quality of meat. Technical person in charge must be competent (has
gone through certified training) in the field of food safety.

8. Hygiene and Sanitation

Hygiene and sanitation facilities must be able to guarantee the cleaning and
disinfection processes for the building, production areas, equipment and tools
and workers’ work clothes can be implemented effectively to prevent cross
contamination. Implementation of hygiene and sanitation:
8.1. No entry of unauthorized person within slaughterhouse and/or meat
cutting plant premises;
 8.2. every entrance door to slaughterhouse main building must have the boot-
washing facility completed with boots’ brush and facility to disinfect boots
(foot dip) or other procedures for boot cleaning;
8.3. must have hand-washing facilities equipped with hands-free tap, liquid
soap, paper towels/hand dryer and sanitiser adequate for all personnel to
ensure hand-washing to proceed well and in a hygienic way;
8.4. facility to disinfect knives and equipment/tools used, and if hot water
facility is used, it should be operating at a minimum temperature of 82°C
or the other appropriate method;
8.5. use clean water which is tested at the minimum of once a year in the
accreditation laboratory;
8.6. chemical substance and sanitizer used must be in accordance to the
manufacturer’s guidelines, and in accordance to regulations by the
member’s state competent authorities, such that there should be no
harmful substances remaining after they have been properly washed and
rinsed according to the manufacturer’s guidelines;
8.7. cleaning and disinfection processes are performed thoroughly every time
slaughter, carcass, meat and offal handling are completed;
8.8. has programs to control insect, rodents and/or other pest animals;
8.9. cleanliness of the area around the main building within the
slaughterhouse and/or meat cutting plant complex must be maintained
periodically by:
8.9.1. keeping the cleanliness, free from litters, animal waste and feed
leftovers;
8.9.2. ensuring vegetation around premises are well-maintained;
8.9.3. providing temporary trashcans in certain points/areas.

9. Personal Hygiene
9.1. workers handling carcass and meat must be healthy, particularly free from
contagious diseases such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex,
hepatitis A, and/or typhus fever. They are required to get their health
checked at least once a year;
9.2. they must wear personal protective equipment (e.g., hair net/head gear,
working clothes/uniform, gloves and suitable footwear) and must not wear
 accessories; If personal protective equipment is not disposable, it must
be effectively cleaned.
9.3. workers who handle or have direct contact with animals or working on the
slaughter line are encouraged to wear appropriate masks to protect
against diseases that may be transmitted from animals;
9.4. they must always wash their hands using liquid soap and/or sanitizer
before, during or after handling products as well as after visiting the toilet;
9.5. workers who directly handle products are not to sport open wounds; those
who are injured while working must stop working and treat the
wound/injury by bandaging it using waterproof materials and may
continue working afterwards;
9.6. they must not do any activity which may contaminate the product (such
as eating, drinking, sneezing, coughing, smoking, spitting) inside the
slaughterhouse and/or meat cutting plant main building;
9.7. they have participated in hygiene and sanitation training.

10. Regulation by authorities and internal controls

10.1. External control is performed by the government and certification agency:
10.1.1. Control by the Government is done to ensure that the animal products
produced by the slaughterhouse/meat cutting plant are safe for
consumption. Control is done in the forms of audit, inspection and
sample collection for monitoring and surveillance.
10.1.2. Control by Certification Agency/Bodies is performed to ensure the
conformity and commitment of the slaughterhouses/meat cutting plant
on the quality management system. Control is performed in the form of
audit and surveillance.
10.2. Internal control is performed by the management of the
Slaughterhouse/Meat Cutting Plant, coordinated by the technical person
in charge. Control is performed by auditing against the application of
Good Manufacturing Practices and regulations stated in the
Slaughterhouse/Meat Cutting Plant procedures.

11. Traceability
11.1. Recording:
11.1.1. slaughterhouse/meat cutting plant must kept and maintain records at
least records related with animal origin, post-mortem and antemortem
 inspection, temperature in cold chain room, slaughter date and
production date;
11.1.2. Records needs to be kept and maintain in the slaughterhouse/meat
cutting plant;
11.1.3. Records retention periods is in accordance to the member’s state
regulations.
11.2. Packaging:
11.2.1. Packaging must be labelled;
11.2.2. Primary packaging must use materials that are non-toxic, non-
corrosive and food grade;
11.2.3. if using secondary packaging, the materials used are non-toxic, non-
corrosive and not easy to break.
11.3. Label:
11.3.1. Label that directly contact with carcass/meat/offal must use materials
non-toxic, non-corrosive and food grade;
11.3.2. Label at least contains information related with slaughterhouse/meat
cutting plant origin (establishment number), production date,
expired/best before date;
11.3.3. Label is clear and easy to read;
11.3.4. If carcass/meat/offal intended for export, label must also written in
English and/or other language according to the importing country
regulation and/or costumer requirements.