18 AAC 32.680. Evisceration and handling of carcasses

(a) Except as provided in 18 AAC 31.820, skinning, evisceration, splitting, and trimming of reindeer must be conducted within a permitted slaughtering or processing facility.

(b) When skinning the carcass, the operator of a slaughtering or processing facility shall ensure that

(1) the esophagus is rodded and tied before evisceration or skinning to prevent escape of rumen contents and carcass-viscera contamination;

(2) feet are removed before the carcass is otherwise cut;

(3) skinning is performed using either a bed system or an on-the-rail system;

(4) except for sticking the reindeer to bleed it and starting the skinning, the skin is cut from inside outward to prevent carcass contamination with cut hair or dirt;

(5) the hair side of the hide is carefully rolled or reflected away from the carcass during skinning to prevent contamination to the flesh and muscle from the hide; if an on-the-rail system is used, skinning must begin with hind shank and proceed downward;

(6) exposed meat does not contact floors, walls, or equipment when the carcass is moved;

(7) floors, walls, and equipment in the skinning area are kept clean and, if contaminated by gut or fecal material, the floor, wall, or equipment is washed immediately and sanitized using care not to splash a carcass or processed meat;

(8) the hide is pulled down or the carcass pulled up to prevent hair contamination if a mechanical hide puller is used;

(9) lactating udders are removed to prevent soilage of carcasses, facilities, or equipment; however, if an area of a carcass is contaminated from lactating udders, the contaminated portion of the carcass must be trimmed immediately; contaminated facilities or equipment must be washed and sanitized immediately;

(10) the penis is removed to prevent carcass contamination due to urine spillage; if a bed system is used, the penis shall be removed while the carcass is at half-hoist;

(11) the brisket is opened to facilitate removal of thoracic viscera;

(12) the bung is dropped as a final part of rumping;

(13) the perineal skin is pulled laterally over the anus leaving the sphincter intact;

(14) the cut around the bung and into the pelvic cavity is done with a clean knife; and

(15) the rectum is tied to include the bladder's neck and to prevent urine and fecal leakage before evisceration.

(1) before carcass opening, contaminants are trimmed from the midline area of the front of the reindeer before opening the abdominal cavity; opening the abdominal cavity may not result in carcass or viscera contamination;

(2) to minimize contamination, viscera removal is performed to pull or cut free abdominal viscera from the carcass without cutting or breaking the stomach or intestine; and

(3) urinary bladder removal is performed without urine spillage on the carcass, viscera, or equipment.

(d) When splitting the carcass, the operator of a slaughtering or processing facility shall ensure that

(1) bruises, insect larvae, and other contamination are removed from the midline area of the back before splitting to prevent spreading contamination; and

(2) the neck and foreshanks do not contact the floor.

(e) When trimming the carcass, the operator of a slaughtering or processing facility shall ensure that large blood clots and bruised tissue are removed.

(f) The operator of a slaughtering facility shall ensure that all carcasses are washed

(1) to remove hair, dirt, and other contaminants so that the contaminant does not contact other carcasses; and

(2) from the top downward to eliminate possible contamination to clean areas of the carcass.

(g) After trimming, and after the department marks the carcasses and parts as inspected and passed under 18 AAC 32.685, the carcass must be immediately removed to an area that is refrigerated to 41УИ F or below. The carcasses must be spaced to facilitate rapid chilling.

History: Eff. 9/6/2003, Register 167

Authority: AS 03.05.011

The Alaska Administrative Code was automatically converted to HTML from a plain text format. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, but neither Touch N' Go Systems nor the Law Offices of James B. Gottstein can be held responsible for any possible errors. This version of the Alaska Administrative Code is current through June, 2006.

If it is critical that the precise terms of the Alaska Administrative Code be known, it is recommended that more formal sources be consulted. Recent editions of the Alaska Administrative Journal may be obtained from the Alaska Lieutenant Governor's Office on the world wide web. If any errors are found, please e-mail Touch N' Go systems at E-mail. We hope you find this information useful. Copyright 2006. Touch N' Go Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.