Application
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to conduct an audit of animal welfare prior of slaughter and an animal welfare audit of the slaughter process.
This unit is for individuals who are employed to undertake animal welfare audits at a slaughtering establishment.
It is anticipated that this unit will complement existing auditor training by providing animal welfare related information.
Animal welfare audits conducted under this unit must be carried out in accordance with the Industry Animal Welfare Standards for Livestock Processing Establishments Preparing Meat for Human Consumption.
This unit must be delivered in the context of Australian meat industry standards and regulations.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
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 relevant animal welfare regulations and standards | 1.1 Identify and interpret relevant regulations and legislation about animal welfare/cruelty 1.2 Identify the responsibilities of business operators and personnel under relevant legislation 1.3 Identify relevant animal welfare standards, voluntary codes of practice and quality systems 1.4 Identify sections of acts, regulations, voluntary Codes of Practice or equivalent standards relevant to species being processed 1.5 Identify relevant and applicable animal welfare measures for receival, lairage, stunning and slaughtering during audit |
2. Audit the animal welfare component of an Approved Arrangement for compliance with regulatory and relevant standard requirements | 2.1 Audit Approved Arrangement or equivalent quality assurance systems for compliance with customer, commercial and regulatory requirements 2.2 Identify and confirm that workplace procedures for livestock receival, unloading, lairage, handling, restraining, stunning, slaughter, personnel training and animal welfare monitoring comply with relevant regulations and standards |
3. Audit transport and unloading arrangements for livestock | 3.1 Check the establishment's Approved Arrangement to ensure that it incorporates procedures and practices that enable compliance with customer, corporate and regulatory requirements 3.2 Audit the unloading and receival or ante-mortem inspection, sorting and yarding against workplace, customer, commercial and regulatory requirements 3.3 Identify facilities and equipment as operational, appropriately maintained and confirm their suitability for use |
4. Audit management of livestock in lairage prior to slaughter | 4.1 Assess inputs into the welfare of livestock in lairage against regulatory, customer and workplace requirements including facilities, handling practices, inspections, access to feed and water and pen density 4.2 Assess welfare of animals against pre-determined welfare measures |
5. Audit treatment of sick/injured or uncooperative animals | 5.1 Assess the handling of suspect, sick, injured or uncooperative stock against workplace and customer standards and regulatory requirements |
6. Audit stunning of livestock | 6.1 Review inputs into the stunning process including equipment maintenance, training and facilities for compliance with work place, standards and regulatory requirements 6.2 Assess effectiveness of restraint and stunning against workplace, customer and regulatory requirements 6.3 Assess monitoring of effective stunning by company personnel against workplace, customer and regulatory requirements |
7. Audit slaughtering and shackling | 7.1 Observe and assess exsanguination process for compliance with workplace and regulatory requirements 7.2 Assess bodies on the bleed chain for insensibility 7.3 Observe operators to ensure they are complying with workplace procedures including checking for an effective stun |
8. Audit animal welfare monitoring, internal auditing, corrective and preventative action program | 8.1 Review routine monitoring records for livestock handling, stunning and effective slaughter to ensure compliance with workplace, regulatory and customer requirements 8.2 Review internal audit records to assess control of animal welfare outcomes, including training of personnel 8.3 Assess effectiveness of preventative and corrective action programs |
9. Audit contingency arrangements | 9.1 Review and assess contingency plans for livestock emergencies against regulatory and standard requirements |
10. Plan for an animal welfare audit | 10.1 Interpret audit schedule and plan and organise the timely conduct of audit 10.2 Determine objectives, scope and criteria of audit according to workplace requirements 10.3 Assemble and brief audit team (if applicable), as required, for the objectives, scope and criteria of the audit 10.4 Notify those affected by and involved in the audit and document responsibilities according to workplace requirements 10.5 Notify stakeholders involved in an internal audit according to workplace requirements 10.6 Identify procedures, records and workplace documentation needed for the audit 10.7 Document evidence collection methods and sources to be used in the audit, including developing workplace checklists to workplace specifications 10.8 Conduct a document review prior to audit |
11. Report outcomes of an animal welfare audit | 11.1 Prepare an audit report, detailing areas of the program which were audited and findings against the audit criteria, including non-conformances, where applicable 11.2 Document objective evidence according to workplace standards 11.3 Keep records of audit process, objective evidence and findings in accordance with workplace and regulatory requirements 11.4 Report findings according to workplace requirements |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must be observed throughout the process of conducting at least one complete animal welfare audit at a meat processing facility.
The candidate must:
assess the welfare of livestock at receival and in lairage
assess livestock handling against requirements during unloading and handling in the lead up to slaughter
assess the handling of sick/injured and uncooperative animals against workplace and regulatory requirements
make an assessment of effective restraint, stunning and humane slaughter of livestock
use of effective interpersonal skills in a range of contexts, including audit interview situations
comply with Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) requirements for working around livestock
read and interpret relevant legislation, regulations, standards and Codes of Practice
effectively record and communicate audit findings to relevant stakeholders
The candidate must explain and interpret a range of relevant animal welfare measures relevant to the audit situation.
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must:
be able to locate, read and interpret relevant animal welfare and cruelty legislation (Acts) and regulations
have a working knowledge of relevant voluntary industry animal welfare standards for processing establishments
have a working knowledge of relevant codes of practice or equivalent animal welfare standards (underpinning the Acts)
The candidate must demonstrate a broad factual, technical and theoretical knowledge of:
humane destruction and emergency slaughter arrangements
relevant measures of animal welfare
acceptable livestock handling techniques and measures
impact of stress during handling on the ultimate pH and quality of meat
WHS requirements for handling stock
regulatory and workplace requirements for animal welfare
regulatory requirements when dealing with sick and injured animals
requirements for contingency plans for dealing with animal-handling emergencies
Assessment Conditions
All evidence must be collected in the context of current Australian meat industry standards and regulations.
A minimum of three different forms of evidence is required to demonstrate competency.
This must include as a minimum:
written test or quiz
a complete onsite mock audit of animal welfare.
Assessment must be conducted in a slaughtering establishment under real working conditions.
Assessors must satisfy current standards for RTOs.
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.