Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to remove primal cuts from the trunk of a small stock carcase. Species covered by this unit include sheep, goats, pigs, kangaroos and any other small stock species processed.
This unit is applicable to workers in boning rooms, food services, pet food, wholesale and retail operations.
All work should be carried out to comply with workplace procedures, customer requirements and product specifications.
This unit applies to individuals who work under broad direction and take responsibility for their own work including limited responsibility for the work of others. They provide and communicate solutions to a range of predictable problems.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
This unit must be delivered and assessed in the context of Australian meat processing standards and regulations.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Element | Performance criteria |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Identify specifications for cuts | 1.1 Determine specifications for cuts using cut descriptions according to regulatory standards, customer specifications and workplace requirements |
2. Bone middle | 2.1 Slice and remove primal cuts from carcase according to work instructions and specifications 2.2 Slice and remove primal cuts from carcase according to workplace health and safety requirements including the safe and effective use of a knife and following safe manual handling techniques 2.3 Cut primal lines in compliance with regulatory requirements 2.4 Handle meat safety and quality hazards according to workplace procedures 2.5 Cut primals to maximise yield |
3. Identify and remove defects | 3.1 Identify, remove and report defects according to government regulations and workplace standards 3.2 Report persistent defects to supervisor in accordance with work instructions |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must remove primal cuts from the trunk of a small stock carcase.
The candidate must:
prepare and operate equipment according to workplace requirements
check and correct where necessary, the accuracy of cutting lines
bone the middle according to the work instructions and specifications, and at production speed
identify contamination or abnormalities and handle according to workplace and regulatory requirements
apply communication skills relevant to work instructions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must demonstrate a factual, technical, procedural and theoretical knowledge of:
structure of the carcase and primal cutting lines
procedure for removal of all primals to desired specifications
sources of contamination and cross-contamination and the ways of minimising it
importance of and technique required to maximise yield from a carcase
work instructions and dropped meat procedures
relevant regulatory requirements
carcase defects and appropriate corrective actions.
Assessment Conditions
Assessment must occur in a registered meat processing plant or facility.
Competency must be demonstrated in an operating meat processing plant or facility at normal production speed.
As a minimum, the following three forms of assessment must be used:
quiz of underpinning knowledge
workplace demonstration
workplace referee or third-party report of performance over time.
Assessors must satisfy the current standards for RTOs.
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.