ICS 67.120.20  
 
 Reference number  
DRS  289: 2021  
© RSB 2021  
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS  
289 
 
Second  edition  
2021 -mm-dd 
 
Handling, processing and storage of 
poultry — Code of practice  
 
   
DRS  289: 2021  
©RSB 2021 - All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2021  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reprodu ce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw  DRS  289: 2021  
iii                ©RSB 2021 - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Hygiene and health condition of slaughter poultry  ................................ ................................ .. 2 
5 Transport of poultry  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  2 
6 Slaughteri ng plant and facilities  ................................ ................................ ................................ . 3 
7 Poultry processing requirements  ................................ ................................ ...............................  5 
7.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  5 
7.2 Requirements and presentation for slaughter of poultry ................................ .........................  5 
7.3 Ante mortem inspection requirements  ................................ ................................ ......................  6 
7.4 Post -mortem inspection and examination requirements  ................................ .........................  6 
7.5 Handling and processing  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  7 
7.5.1  General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  7 
7.5.2  Stunning  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  7 
7.5.3  Bleeding  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  7 
7.5.4  Scalding  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  7 
7.5.5  Plucking (defeathering) ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  8 
7.5.6  Removal of feet  ................................ ................................ ................................ .............................  8 
7.5.7  Washing  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  8 
7.5.8  Evisceration  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 8 
7.5.9  Carcass washing  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........................  9 
7.5.10  Chilling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  9 
7.5.11  Grading  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  9 
7.5.12  Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 9 
7.5.13  Storage  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  10 
8 Transportation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  10 
 DRS  289: 2021  
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 Foreword  
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by R wanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards adop ted 
by Technical committ ees are ratified  by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and gazettment as 
Rwanda Standards.  
DRS  289 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 5 on Meat and meat products . 
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on  Meat and meat products  (RSB/TC 
5) in the preparation of this standard.  
Kime  Supermarket Ltd 
Yak Fair  Trade Ltd  
Rugali Meat Processing  Company  Ltd 
Gasabo District  
National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA)  
Nyabihu TVET School  
Nyarutarama Business Incubation Centre (NBIC)  
Rwanda Food and Drug Authority (RFDA)  
Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority ( RICA ) 
Rwanda  Standards Board ( RSB) – Secretariat  
  DRS  289: 2021  
1                ©RSB 2021 - All rights reserved  
 Handling, processing and storage of poultry — Code of  practice  
1 Scope  
This Committee Draft  Standard lays down guidelines for efficient handling, processing, cold storage and 
transportation of poultry.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application 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.  
RS 47, Dressed poultry (Chicken) — Specification  
RS EAS 12, Potable water — Specification  
RS CAC/RCP 1, Code of practice — General principle for food  hygiene  
RS 185, Code of Hygienic practice for meat.  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the follow ing terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
broiler or fryer  
young chicken of either sex, that is, tender -meated  with soft pliable, smooth -textured skin and flexible 
breastbone cartilage  
3.2 
hen or stewing chicken or fowl  
Mature female chicken with meat less tender than that of a roaster, and nonflexible breastbone tip  
3.3 
culled poultry  
Unproductive poultry which a re sent for slaughter   
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 3.4 
Accessories  
rooms of the slaughterhouse other than slaughter hall reserved to accommodate other related poultry 
slaughtering activities such as washing, evisceration, packaging, chilling, storage and dispatch.  
4 Hygiene and health c ondition for slaughtering  poultry  
In addition to the principles of meat hygiene at primary production stipulated in RS 185, poultry intended for the 
production of meat shall at all times be raised in accordance to good animal husbandry practices or any rel evant 
codes of agricultural practices. The place of production shall establish and maintain the following programs and 
measures:  
 to maintain good and sound health condition of population; to prevent the entry and spread of 
poultry diseases including exotic  diseases of public health or animal health importance; and apply 
control and/or eradication measures as appropriate;  
 to control the use of chemical substances such as veterinary drugs, growth promotants, pesticides, 
insecticides and other agricultural che micals or contaminants as part of the health program, pest 
control, treatment of farm facilities and surroundings, etc., that may give rise to harmful levels of 
residues or contaminants in meat;  
 to control feedstuff that may recycle animal products and was te with pathogens unless precautions 
and treatment were undertaken to minimize this risk; or to control feedstuff containing chemical 
substances such as veterinary drugs, growth promotants, pesticides, insecticides and other 
agricultural chemicals or conta minants that can result in residues in meat exceeding the maximum 
levels adopted by the Codex Alimentarius; and  
 method of disposal or harvest of population shall not constitute and pose hazard to public or animal 
health and shall be environmentally sound.  
 
5 Transport of poultry  
5.1 The transport of slaughter poultry should be carried out in a manner that does not have an adverse  impact 
on the safety and suitability of poultry meat.  
5.1.1 Slaughter poultry shall require transport facilities to the poultry dre ssing establishment that ensure  that: 
 soiling and cross contamination with faecal  material is minimized;  
 new hazards are not introduced during transport;  
 animal identification as to the place of origin is maintained; and  DRS  289: 2021  
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 avoiding undue stress that may adversely impact on the safety of meat (such as stress -induced 
shedding of pathogens, overcrowding and suffocation, exposure to extreme temperature and 
transport over long distances without feed and water).  
5.1.2  The transport vehicles should be designed a nd maintained so that:  
 poultry are loaded, unloaded and transported easily and with minimal risk of injury;  
 ventilation is adequate;  
 cleaning and sanitizing is readily achieved; and  
 use of floor gratings, crates or similar devices limit soiling and cross c ontamination with faecal 
material;  
5.1.3 Where the vehicle has more than one deck, poultry should be protected from cross contamination as  
appropriate.  
5.1.4 The transport vehicles, and crates where used shall be cleaned and sanitized as soon as practicabl e after 
poultry have been unloaded at the poultry dressing establishment.  
6 Slaughtering plant and facilities  
6.1 The following principles should be taken into consideration when designing poultry slaughterhouse:  
 building design and layout shall be planned t o meet the basic requirements of divisions into clean 
and unclean working operations;  
 design and construction of the building shall suit the purpose of the building and should be easy to 
maintain, clean and sanitize as follows : 
1) the roof of the slaughter ha ll and all buildings with direct relation to the service of the slaughter hall 
shall be such that they do not transmit any undesirable substances to the slaughter bird;  
2) the roof cover of the slaughter hall and its accessories shall be at least iron sheet;  
3) the floor shall meet the following conditions:  
i) waterproof,  
ii) not slippery,  
iii) flat, no holes,  
iv) no crack,   
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 v) strong to bear the burden, and  
vi) slope slightly into waste disposal as well as easy to clean and disinfect;  
 
 the wall of the slaughter hall shall be finished with washable, non -absorbent and easy to clean 
material;  
 the windows of the slaughter hall and accessories shall be at least 2 m high from the floor, glazed 
with   glass and the ledge should be sloped at a 45° angle to the outside;  
 to avoid insects, rodent s and vermin, windows and openings made for sufficient ventilation shall be 
covered with screens;  
 door shall be made from no n-corrosive, waterproof and non toxic material, and able to prevent 
entrance of pest; and  
 all corners and edges of the slaughter hal l and accessories shall have curved finishing.  
 size of the building shall suit the capacity of production so that tools arrangement cannot disturb 
production process, and the building is able to accommodate workers’ movement.  
 have good ventilation and air circulation, and the air flows should be arranged to come from the 
clean area.  
6.2 Separate rooms shall be provided for the following operations:  
 live poultry receiving and holding and shall:  
1) be provided for washing and disinfection of coops;  
2) be adequately  spaced;  
3) be properly ventilated;  
4) avoid development of odour and harbourage of pest;  
5) provide sufficient for waste and condemnation receptacles;  
6) provide adequate space for the conduct of ante -mortem inspection activity;  
7) be clean and easily maintained and san itized; and  
8) be located where birds shall not be disrupted during their resting period.  DRS  289: 2021  
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 slaughter, scalding and defeathering;  
 evisceration, washing and giblet processing;  
 chilling;  
 cutting and packaging;  
 storage;  
 the storage for inedible part such as feathers, viscera and concerned poultry carcass, prior to 
transport to rendering plant for the preparation of inedible fats and animal feed; and  
 there shall be dispatch area within the slaughter premises  
6.4 Facilities such as toilets, showers, changing ro oms and equipment and material store shall be available  and 
in appropriate conditions.  
6.4 Particular attention should be paid to water supply to the poultry dressing plant. The quality of water used  
shall satisfy the requirements for potable water RS EAS 12. 
6.5 The source of power shall be considered when establishing the poultry slaughter house.  
6.5 Particular attention shall be given to ventilation and illumination. The ventilation shall be sufficiently  strong, 
properly situated and should not cause gla re. 
7 Poultry processing requirements  
7.1 General requirements  
In all stages of poultry processing the requirements in RS 185 and RS CAC/RCP 1 shall be considered.  
7.2 Requirements and presentation for slaughter of poultry  
7.2.1 Only healthy, clean and appropriately  identified poultry shall be presented and accepted for  slaughter.  
7.2.2 All poultry birds shall be screened upon arrival at the poultry slaughter establishment accompanied  with 
veterinary health certificate and transport permit.  
7.2.3 Slaughter poultry sh all be adequately rested at a minimum of two (2) hours prior to slaughter.  Diseased 
or defective Poultry shall be separated from others, to enable them to receive any special attention and to 
prevent cross contamination to normal animals, facilities, equip ment and personnel.  
7.2.6 The conditions of holding of poultry birds shall minimize cross contamination with food -borne  pathogens 
and facilitate efficient slaughter.   
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 7.3 Ante mortem inspection requirements  
7.3.1 All poultry presented for slaughter shall be sub jected to ante -mortem inspection and may be  carried out 
upon arrival at the poultry slaughter establishment by a competent meat inspector.  
7.3.2 Poultry shall be accompanied with proper documents such as veterinary health certificate and  transport permit,  
and shall be properly identified and capable of being traced back to the farm source. Veterinary health certificate and 
transport permit shall comply with national legislation.  
7.3.3 Ante-mortem inspection shall be carried out in a systematic manner and s hall ensure that poultry  found to be 
affected by a disease or defect that would render their meat unfit for human consumption are so identified and 
removed from the food chain.  
7.3.4 Ante-mortem inspection shall ensure that poultry whose meat may be fit fo r human consumption but  that require 
special handling during slaughter and post -mortem inspection, are segregated, subjected to thorough inspection and 
shall be the last poultry bird to be slaughtered.  
7.3.5 No poultry shall proceed for slaughter until an  inspector has carried out ante -mortem inspection  and has 
passed it as suitable for slaughter. Exceptions may be under emergency slaughter procedures where a delay 
in carrying out ante -mortem inspection would result in undue suffering of poultry.  
7.3.6 Ante-mortem inspection shall detect deviations from normality, whether demeanour, behaviour,  
appearance or other clinical signs that might indicate a disease or defect requiring special handling or closer 
examination.  
7.3.8 Special measures, operations or pro cedures shall be instituted by the poultry slaughter establishment  
operator when:  
 poultry are not sufficiently clean;  
 poultry that have died in transit or have died after arrival;  
 a zoonotic disease posing an immediate threat to either animal or humans is present, or suspected;  
 a poultry health disease subject to quarantine restrictions is present, or suspected;  
 a poultry identification requirement from farm source are not met; and  
 declaration from the farm source of any relevant information are absent or i nadequate.  
7.4 Post -mortem inspection and examination requirements  
7.4.1  Post-mortem inspection shall be done after evisceration and before carcass washing.  
7.4.2 Poultry carcasses and their relevant parts and by -products shall be subjected to post -mortem  inspection and 
shall be carried out as soon as practicable.  DRS  289: 2021  
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 7.4.3  Post-mortem inspection of poultry carcasses and parts thereof shall be carried in accordance RS  
7.4.4 Poultry carcasses and parts thereof shall be condemned for human consumption when post -mortem  
examinations have revealed that:  
 they are hazardous to poultry slaughterers and handlers, consumers and other animals;  
 when there are severe organoleptic deviations from normal meat;  
 when laboratory tests indicate that they contain contaminants or re sidues which exceed the 
established limits; and  
 when the poultry meat has been conditionally approved for human food but it has not been treated 
as stipulated within the indicated period of time.  
7.4.5 The condemned poultry meat shall remain under the cust ody of the inspector until the required  treatment 
or method of disposal has been applied in a safe manner.  
7.5 Handling and processing  
7.5.1  General requirements  
7.5.1.1 The slaughter ing, evisceration and packaging of poultry shall be conducted in such a manner, as result  
in hygienic processing, proper inspection and preservation.  
7.5.1.2  The poultry meat from the slaughtering process shall comply with the requirements in RS 47.  
7.5.2  Stunning  
The poultry should be stunned. In that case the poultry may be hung on shackles attached to chains running on 
an overhead track and made unconscious with one blow on the head. In large establishments poultry may be 
stunned by efficient electrical stunners.  
7.5.3  Bleeding  
Poultry should  be bled by giving a cut on the jugular vein below the e arlobe and slided along the line while being 
bled out, towards the scald bath. In small processing plants, the operation may be done manually. The bleeding 
time should preferably be not less than 90 sec to ensure proper bleeding.  
7.5.4  Scalding  
7.5.4.1 Scalding shall be done after all movements/reflexes have ceased. The temperature of the scalding  water 
should be maintained from 55 °C to 57 °C, and the poultry should be kept in it for about 2 min.  
7.5.4.2 Where a wetting agent is added to scalding water it shall be an approved chemical and used  according 
to the manufacturer ’s instructions.   
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 7.5.4.2 Care should be taken to maintain a bacterial count less than 10 000 per mL in this water, unless the  
scald vessel is supplied with a suitable overflow.  
7.5.4.3  The scald ing container shall be thoroughly cleaned daily.  
7.5.4.4  The scalding water shall be changed regularly during slaughtering.  
7.5.5  Plucking (defeathering)  
7.5.5.1  Immediately after scalding, the plucking of poultry shall be done.  
7.5.5.2 Defeathering shall be car ried out in a manner which minimizes contamination of the carcass.  Plucking, may 
be done by a machine or hands. If Mechanical pluckers are used, the following shall be considered:  
 they shall be installed as to be accessible for thorough and regular cleanin g and for the removal of 
any accumulated feathers and microorganisms;  
 they shall be constructed so as to prevent the scattering of feathers; and  
 plucking should be followed by a brief manual fine -plucking.  
7.5.5.3 Continuous collection and removal of feath er from the defeathering and scalding areas shall be  carried 
out without contamination of the product or processing area.  
7.5.6  Removal of feet  
From hygiene point of view, removal of the feet at the tarsometatarsal joint shall be done before washing as this 
would make it possible to avoid dirt and dirty water from the feet and legs running down the body, after opening 
the abdominal cavity.  
7.5.7  Washing  
All bird shall be washed after defeathering and before any further incision is made in the carcass. The 
washing shoul d be done by a spray or constant flow of potable water, chlorine solution or a solution of 
another approved chemical . 
7.5.8  Evisceration  
7.5.8.1  Poultry shall be eviscerated immediately after  being slaughtered.  
7.5.8.2 Poultry killed by decapitation shall be trimmed to remove the neck tissue that could have been  contaminated 
during scalding and defeathering.  
7.5.8.3 The alimentary tract shall be removed intact. First the oil gland should be removed. The abdominal  cavity 
should then be opened by means of a tran sverse cut. A circular cut should be made around the vent so that the 
intestines shall be removed.  DRS  289: 2021  
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 7.5.8.4 All utensils, hands, and food contact surfaces shall be disinfected and rinsed in potable water before  and after 
evisceration process  
7.5.8.5 During a manual evisceration process, all utensils, hands, and food contact surfaces shall be  disinfected 
and rinsed in potable water when they get in contact with faeces,  
7.5.9  Carcass washing  
After the post -mortem inspection has been carried out, the poultry shall be  given a washing with potable water 
and the following should be respected:  
 after a preliminary spray, the poultry shall be once more sprayed with water after which the lungs 
and the kidneys shall be removed by vacuum or by means of a suitably constructed f ork; and  
 the poultry should be given a further spray with water after the removal of lungs and kidneys to 
ensure that the bird entering the chiller is as clean as possible.  
7.5.10  Chilling  
7.5.10.1 Every part of any poultry carcass shall be chilled to an internal  temperature of 4  °C or cooler as  soon 
as practicable after slaughter ing and taking account of the nature and intended use of the final product. The 
temperature of 4 °C should be reached within 24 h of slaughter at 1 °C. 
7.5.10.2  If immersion chilling is a dopted, it shall be subject to the following conditions:  
 all water and ice shall be potable on entry to the tank;  
 microbiological and chemical hazards shall be avoided; and  
 water flow should be adequate to achieve the desired chilling.  
7.5.11  Grading  
The poultry shall be graded in accordance with RS 47.  
7.5.12  Packaging  
7.5.12.1 Before packaging, the gizzard rid of the internal contents, the heart after removal of pericardium, the  
liver and the neck should be placed into the abdominal cavity of the carcass enclosed in au thorized food grade 
packaging material . The carcass should be dressed by folding back the wings and introducing the legs through 
the abdominal opening out through the vent opening.  
7.5.12.2 The drained and dressed poultry shall be packed into suitable sized  authorized food grade packaging 
material or  other  suitable food grade packaging materials. Before final sealing, the packages shall be immersed 
into vats containing water to expel the content of air between the carcass and the bag, taking care that no wat er 
is introduced in the pack. Alternatively, vacuum wrapping or shrunk wrapping of the packages may be adopted. 
After the air inside is expelled, the bag shall be sealed in a sealer or shall be knotted using rubber bands.   
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 7.5.13  Storage  
7.5.13.1  The bulk quantiti es of processed poultry may be stored either under refrigeration or frozen.  
7.5.13.2  The period of storage under refrigeration shall not exceed 7 days when the poultry is stored  under 
refrigeration at 1 °C  to 4oC 
7.5.13.3 The period of storage under freezing shall not exceed 9 months when the poultry is stored at -23 °C to -18 °C  
8 Transportation  
8.1 The guidelines presented in this clause are supplemental to the objectives and guidelines in Section VIII  of 
RS CAC/RCP 1.  
8.2 Due to the potential for gro wth of pathogenic and spoilage micro -organisms under conditions of  inadequate 
temperature control, poultry shall be transported at temperatures that achieve safety and suitability objectives.  
8.3 Equipment for continuous monitoring and recording of tempera tures shall accompany transport vehicles  and 
bulk containers wherever appropriate.  
8.4 Additionally, the conditions of transport shall provide adequate protection from exogenous contamination  
and damage, and shall minimise growth of pathogenic and spoilage  micro -organisms.  
8.5 If poultry is inadvertently exposed to adverse temperature conditions or sources of contamination that  may 
affect safety and suitability, an inspection shall be carried out by a competent authority  before further transport 
or distribution is allowed.  DRS  289: 2021  
Price based on 10 pages  
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