Chapter 12: Harvesting

History shows that humankind has always attached importance to the source of their food including the handling of a meat supply. As time progressed inspection began to play an important role in determining whether or not the meat they harvested was fit for human consumption.

This chapter covers harvesting, or the slaughter of domestic animals designated for the food chain, bovine, porcine, ovine, and poultry. Topics include but are not limited to the humane stunning of animals, bleeding, scalping, skinning, and evisceration.

Other topics include the proper handling of animals prior to and during harvesting, specified risk materials (SRMs), as well as inspection and grading of the common species.