Purpose and policy objectives
- All poultry processing plants must ensure adequate protection and welfare of birds while awaiting slaughter.
- Plants must avoid mishandling and must avoid infliction of unnecessary pain or distress during the slaughtering process.
- The meat inspection work must be supervised by Meat Control Officers or Meat Inspectors from the National Meat Inspection Commission or from the local government.
Core definitions for compliance
- A “Deputized Animal Welfare Officer” is a person deputized by the Bureau of Animal Industry to monitor animal welfare before and during the slaughter process.
- “Management” is the individual or group of persons managing the whole operation of the poultry dressing plant.
- A “Machine Operator” is a technical personnel operating machineries and equipment inside the poultry dressing plant.
- A “Stunned Chicken” is a chicken subjected to stunning, where effective stunning signs include: wide open eyes, rigidly extended legs, head arched toward its back, wings slightly spread and close to the body with rapid short bursts of flapping, and tail feathers turned up over its back.
Coverage: poultry dressing plants and process stages
- The rules apply to all poultry processing plants where birds are slaughtered and/or dressed.
- The requirements cover handling and welfare of birds while awaiting slaughter, including unloading and shackling.
- The requirements include the slaughter workflow covering stunning and slitting.
- The requirements include plant-wide operational controls, including staffing orientation and plant registration.
Plant requirements and registration duties
- Holding accommodations for birds awaiting slaughter must be provided with proper ventilation and protection from adverse weather.
- Unloading arrangements must be provided.
- Moving loose crates from the delivery vehicle to the point where birds are removed must avoid jolting or undue tilting.
- Unloading and shackling arrangements must reduce physical effort required of personnel and must lessen stress to birds.
- The shackle line positioning must ensure suspended birds remain well clear of obstructions even when wings are outstretched.
- Along the entire length of the shackle line up to the point of entry into the scalding tank, worker presence is required to provide birds immediate attention when necessary.
- The speed of the shackle line must be limited to what enables efficient task performance without undue haste and with proper regard for bird welfare.
- Contingency plans are required to ensure birds awaiting slaughter are not held in excess of the recommended twelve (12) hours time limit.
- Suffering birds must be slaughtered without undue delay.
- All personnel employed in dressing plants must be oriented to all aspects of Republic Act No. 8485.
- Dressing plants must be registered with the Bureau of Animal Industry through the NMIC with an annual registration fee of PHP 200.00.
Supervision of handling, shackling, and suspension time
- Management must ensure removing poultry from crates and hanging on shackles is under the direct supervision and constant control of the animal welfare officer.
- Birds must not be suspended with the head downwards for more than three (3) minutes for poultry, and turkeys for no more than six (6) minutes before slaughter or stunning.
- Operators must ensure loose birds are frequently collected.
Stunning and slitting operational controls
- Electrical stunning must be used in poultry slaughter, whether by rod or water.
- An electrical stunner must be used in poultry.
- No unstunned chicken may be bled properly.
- Management must ensure stunning equipment is in good working condition at all times.
- Stunning equipment must incorporate visual and audible warning devices to detect mechanical and electrical failure.
- For chickens, the effective stunning current must be provided by the manufacturer and displayed near the device.
- A back-up stunner must always be available in case an automatic electrical stunner fails.
- Birds not stunned to the satisfaction of the operator must be appropriately dealt with immediately.
- Birds must be bled immediately after they are stunned.
- A back-up slitter must be properly positioned at all times.
Penalties, separability, and administrative effect
- Any violation of any provision of the code of practice must be penalized in accordance with the law.
- If any provision is declared contrary to law and/or unconstitutional, other unaffected provisions continue to be enforced and in effect.
- All Administrative Orders, Rules and Regulations, and other administrative issuances (or parts thereof) inconsistent with the code must be repealed or modified accordingly.
Effectivity and publication rule
- The code of practice takes effect fifteen (15) days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation.