SANITARY PROCEDURES FOR SHEEP AND GOATS SLAUGHTERING OPERATIONS IN SÃO LUIS CITY – MARANHÃO STATE/BRAZIL: A CASE REPORT

The aim of the current study was to assess the sheep and goats slaughtering procedures in São Luis City, Maranhão State, Brazil, and their adequacy to the operations set by the national sanitary program. The following methodological procedures were carried out to achieve the research aims: (i) literature review using secondary data about the proposed theme within the available theoretical framework; and, (ii) field research, involving three technical visits to the slaughterhouse for observing and understanding the slaughtering process, as well as for taking photographic records. The second stage of this research focused on assessing the slaughter process based on the Sanitary Operation Procedures, which encompass the flowing slaughtering steps: reception and rest, spray bath, stunning, bleeding, skinning, evisceration, inspection, toilet and washing, refrigeration, and shipping. The results indicate an urgent need to implement corrective actions in the evaluated slaughter process, including employee training and thorough cleaning of equipment to mitigate the risk of contaminating sheep and goat carcasses as well as the environment. The slaughterhouse exhibited several non-conformities ewith the operations outlined by the sanitary program across all evaluated slaughtering stages. The company must commit to solve and prevent such non-conformities, in order to avoid recorrences and to ensure that such conditions will not unfold and damage humans, animals and the environment.