Annex B: Facilities for the harvest and processing of poultry feet removed prior to post-mortem inspection and destined for export

The preparation of poultry feet harvested prior to post-mortem inspection is considered incompatible with edible product processing activities. This is because of regulatory requirements and is consistent with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) pre-requisite programs. Therefore, such poultry feet cannot be handled within edible product areas (for example, cut-up, boning and packaging areas).

However, preparation procedures for poultry feet harvested prior to post-mortem inspection and destined for export as an edible product are not compatible with poultry carcass scalding and defeathering operations and other conventional inedible activities. This is consistent with the expectations of those foreign countries accepting this product as edible. Therefore the cutting/trimming, chilling, grading/sorting, packaging and refrigeration/freezing of the poultry feet must be kept isolated from other inedible activities.

Establishments which harvest poultry feet prior to post-mortem inspection and prepare these for export shall have a separate room for the cutting, trimming, optional further chilling, sorting and packaging of these poultry feet. This room shall be physically isolated (for example, floor to ceiling walls) from all operations except the following:

• scalding of the poultry feet destined for export
• processing of the poultry feet destined for export, and
• carcass transfer operations, for example, operations after defeathering equipment but before opening cut or venting equipment

The room shall also be provided with handwash and sanitation facilities for employees sorting and packaging the poultry feet.

When the room is located in an edible area of the plant, the room shall be completely separated from all other edible product processing rooms. The scalded poultry feet for export shall only be conveyed to the room by means of a stainless steel pipeline which is demountable (for example sanitary type coupling) for cleaning and/or inspection of sanitation.

Packaged poultry feet shall be stored in a designated area of a cooler/freezer in the edible section of the establishment. The packaged poultry feet for export shall be directly removed to the designated area within the cooler/freezer and shall not transit to the cooler/freezer through the inedible area.