Avian Science Research Centre

Our modern purpose-built licensed poultry slaughter and processing facility and its dedicated staff analyse product data on the carcasses of up to 2000 birds per week. Samples can also be taken for microbiological and chemical analysis when testing management regimes or developing nutraceutical products such as selenium-enhanced meat. Features of this unit include:

• staff employed full-time to work in the facility
• an ability to gather data from chickens, hens, turkeys and ducks
• systems that enable data to be gathered from, and reconciled to, individual birds
• appraisal by independent quality assurance audit
• subject to Meat Hygiene Service operating requirements

Some typical projects are as follows:

• Collaborative breed evaluation project with Aviagen assessing carcass yield 
• Assessment of carcasses for campylobacter 
• Assessment of selenium content of breast meat

The benefits to be gained include:

• Reproducability of the data
• Ability to process a significant numbers of birds
• Capability to track individual birds throughout the process
• Assurance that quality standards are met using BS EN ISO 9001:2000