Operating procedures of chicken slaughtering

This document specifies the operating procedures for chicken slaughtering.

Modes opératoires d'abattage des poulets

General Information

Status
Published
Publication Date
13-Nov-2025
Current Stage
6060 - International Standard published
Start Date
14-Nov-2025
Due Date
09-Feb-2026
Completion Date
14-Nov-2025

Overview

ISO 19599:2025 establishes comprehensive operating procedures for chicken slaughtering, providing globally recognized guidelines to ensure food safety, animal welfare, and operational efficiency in poultry processing. Developed by ISO's Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, this standard covers each step of the chicken slaughtering process from pre-slaughter handling to final sorting and storage. The standard emphasizes best practices aligned with animal welfare management, hygienic production, and product quality.

This international standard helps slaughterhouses and poultry processors implement consistent, safe, and humane procedures. It integrates requirements from related normative references such as ISO/TS 34700:2016 on animal welfare management and CAC codes of hygienic practice, thereby encouraging compliance with global food safety and animal health regulations.

Key Topics

  • Pre-slaughter Requirements
    Guidelines for animal welfare plans, health inspection, fasting protocols, and optimal handling during transport and unloading. Key focuses include minimizing stress and injury by providing a calm environment and appropriate stocking densities.

  • Slaughtering Procedures
    Detailed steps covering hanging, stunning, bleeding, scalding, defeathering, and head and feet removal. Ensures welfare-compliant stunning and humane killing with checks for unconsciousness and rapid exsanguination to maintain product integrity.

  • Evisceration and Cleaning
    Procedures include crop removal, bunging, disembowelling, and evisceration using manual or automated methods designed to prevent contamination and damage to carcasses. Includes mandatory cleaning and disinfection of tools and equipment during processing.

  • Post-mortem Inspection and By-product Sorting
    Emphasizes comprehensive inspection protocols for food safety and correct handling of by-products to avoid contamination during sorting.

  • Chilling, Freezing, and Storage
    Specifies chilling methods (water and air cooling) with strict temperature controls to inhibit bacterial growth. Freezing requirements detail temperature thresholds and time limits to maintain meat quality. Storage areas must prevent cross-contamination.

  • Trimming and Segmentation
    Ensures chicken carcasses are trimmed and segmented according to hygiene standards and quality specifications for market readiness.

Applications

ISO 19599:2025 is essential for:

  • Poultry Processing Plants aiming to standardize slaughtering operations to optimize animal welfare, food safety, and product quality.
  • Food Safety Auditors and Inspectors needing a clear framework for evaluating slaughterhouse compliance.
  • Equipment Manufacturers designing slaughtering machinery that meets operational and sanitary standards.
  • Regulatory Authorities formulating policies in line with international best practices for humane slaughter and hygienic meat production.
  • Quality Assurance Teams implementing continuous improvement programs within poultry supply chains.

Adhering to this standard can enhance reputation, reduce product recalls due to contamination, improve worker safety, and ensure compliance with international trade requirements.

Related Standards

  • ISO/TS 34700:2016 - Animal welfare management for food supply chain organizations.
  • CAC/RCP 58-2005 - Codex Alimentarius Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat.
  • CXC 1-1969 - General Principles of Food Hygiene from Codex Alimentarius.
  • WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code (Chapters 7.1 & 7.5) - Animal welfare and health guidelines.
  • ISO 22000 - Food safety management systems applicable to slaughterhouses and processing plants.

By integrating ISO 19599:2025 with these standards, organizations can achieve a holistic approach to poultry slaughtering that safeguards consumer health, promotes animal welfare, and supports sustainable industry growth.


Keywords: ISO 19599:2025, chicken slaughtering, poultry processing, animal welfare, food safety, hygienic practice, stunning procedure, evisceration, carcass chilling, poultry slaughterhouse standards.

Standard

ISO 19599:2025 - Operating procedures of chicken slaughtering Released:14. 11. 2025

English language
6 pages
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Frequently Asked Questions

ISO 19599:2025 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Its full title is "Operating procedures of chicken slaughtering". This standard covers: This document specifies the operating procedures for chicken slaughtering.

This document specifies the operating procedures for chicken slaughtering.

ISO 19599:2025 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 65.020.30 - Animal husbandry and breeding. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.

ISO 19599:2025 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.

Standards Content (Sample)


International
Standard
ISO 19599
First edition
Operating procedures of chicken
2025-11
slaughtering
Modes opératoires d'abattage des poulets
Reference number
© ISO 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Pre-slaughter requirements. 1
5 Operating procedures and requirements of slaughtering . 2
5.1 Hanging .2
5.2 Stunning .2
5.3 Bleeding .3
5.4 Scalding and defeathering .3
5.5 Head and feet removal .3
5.6 Crop removal and evisceration .3
5.6.1 Crop removal .3
5.6.2 Bunging .3
5.6.3 Disembowelling .3
5.6.4 Evisceration .3
5.6.5 Cleaning and disinfection .4
5.7 Rinse .4
5.8 Post-mortem inspection .4
5.9 By-product sorting .4
5.10 Chilling .4
5.10.1 Chilling method .4
5.10.2 Chilling requirements .4
5.11 Trimming and segmentation .4
5.12 Freezing .5
5.13 Sorting .5
6 Storage . 5
7 Other requirements . . 5
Bibliography . 6

iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Food products, Subcommittee SC 6, Meat,
poultry, fish, eggs and their products.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

iv
International Standard ISO 19599:2025(en)
Operating procedures of chicken slaughtering
1 Scope
This document specifies the operating procedures for chicken slaughtering.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes
requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/TS 34700:2016, Animal welfare management — General requirements and guidance for organizations in
the food supply chain
CAC/RCP 58-2005, Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat
CXC 1-1969, General Principles of Food Hygiene
World Organization for Animal Health, Terrestrial Animal Health Code (WOAH TAHC)
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platfor
...

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