Mobile Poultry Processing Unit as a Resource for Small Poultry Farms: Planning and Economic Efficiency, Animal Welfare, Meat Quality and Sanitary Implications

Abstract

Simple SummaryPoultry meat production is now based on fast-growing strains, with consequences for animal health and welfare. There is also an increasing demand for products from extensive rearing systems; there are, however, several criticisms including the difficulty of slaughtering chickens from a logistic, legislative and economic point of view. A possible solution could be represented by the use a Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPPU), which directly reaches the poultry farms. The aim of this review is to analyse the requisites and economic efficiency of a MPPU prototype in Italy; further, the related animal welfare aspects and the qualitative and sanitary implications are discussed.AbstractNowadays there is an increasing demand for poultry products from alternative rearing systems. These systems, commonly named pastured poultry production (PPP), are more expensive than intensive rearing system but sustain biodiversity, local economies and farm multi-functionality besides providing meat to which consumers attribute high ethical value and quality. PPP generally uses large outdoor runs, small number of animals and requires chickens adapted to natural environment. One of the most relevant obstacles to further development of PPP systems is related to the slaughtering of animals economically and at the same time complying with the sanitary regulations to maintain food safety standards. A possible solution could be represented by a Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPPU), which directly reaches the poultry farms. MPPU can consider a good compromise for the niche production providing an opportunity to small farmers to exploit the full potential of their production system. The aim of this review is to analyse the essential requisites and MPPU economic viability in an Italian system. Qualitative, societal aspects are discussed together with bird welfare and hygiene implications. The case study indicates the viability of MPPUs but notes that up scaling to medium sized operations would not be permissible under current EU regulations.

Listeria Occurrence and Potential Control Strategies in Alternative and Conventional Poultry Processing and Retail

“…In conventional systems, these processes are typically separated from downstream processing by a physical barrier due to the blood and offal waste produced (Keener et al, 2004;Angioloni et al, 2016). This barrier may not be present in MPPU's, although Mancinelli et al (2018) describes an Italian MPPU with a barrier in place.…”

“…While non-conventional poultry processing differs from conventional poultry processing, opportunities still exist for L. monocytogenes contamination. In MPPUs floor drains are not always present and, in closed trailer environments, there is a potential for worker exposure that may be transferred to downstream processing provided the worker operates at multiple stations (Mancinelli et al, 2018). Organic poultry processing may have additional restrictions that limit the use of antimicrobials and may, therefore, restrict the use of sanitizers in MPPUs.…”

“…Of the 12% that were contaminated, 7% harbored L. monocytogenes (Kerr et al, 1993). In MPPUs, fewer workers are present with some only requiring one operator (O'Bryan et al, 2014;Mancinelli et al, 2018). As such, hygiene is essential, lest the entire processing run can be potentially contaminated.…”

Moveable Production Systems for Sustainable Development and Trade: Limitations, Opportunities and Barriers

“…For example, they can enable a wide variety of biowaste to be converted into fuel pellets and briquettes in situ [60,61]. Moreover, moveable factories can be used for agri-food processing [62,63]. The pros and cons of moveable factories compared to fixed factories can be assessed through conventional methodologies, such as break-even calculations and safety assessments [64][65][66].…”

“…However, as illustrated in Figure 3, open source kits can provide products that are fit-for-purpose, but which are not in direct competition with the offerings of dominant manufacturers. Moreover, moveable product systems can be deployed in a wide range of situations where the offerings of established manufacturers are of limited usefulness [54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68]. Thus, moveable production systems can go beyond previous import-substitution industrialization and previous export-led industrialization that have failed to meet development needs in many parts of the world [22][23][24]136].…”