The Red Meat Abattoir Association
T
he conversion of livestock into This led to a need for current up to date safe and wholesome meat in price information, so the RMAA introduced South Africa is a complex process an information system containing current that is regulated mainly by the and historical data for planning and Meat Safety Act, 2000. Anyone development purposes, the prime objective who is squeamish can switch off now, being to provide accurate and valid because the process is known in the industry information for the benefit of the South as slaughtering and takes place in an abattoir, African abattoir industry. To ensure a fair an industrial facility designed specifically for representation of the information the RMAA the purpose of killing animals. The structural therefore requires the abattoir owner to requirements of abattoirs in South Africa are commit to submitting its price information addressed in the Act according to their status on a weekly basis so that a weekly report as high, low or rural throughput facilities. can be released to all members. If you are still with me, there are currently The Association is also an accredited around 500 abattoirs in training provider in the industry and during the past South Africa slaughtering 2.3 million cattle, 2.4 million year has provided training pigs and 5.5 million sheep to 3736 abattoir workers in on an annual basis, so it’s a fields ranging from basic major industry, and one that slaughter skills to food safety The Red Meat Abattoir requires careful inspection, management programmes. Association established The RMAA assists abattoirs monitoring and training to increase profits, safety and to ensure compliance with health, safety and other relevant regulations. quality, and minimise losses by evaluation The Red Meat Abattoir Association (RMAA) and identification of non-compliances, was established in 1991 as an independent corrective training and recommendations on membership-based organization to promote operational processes. meat safety and to maintain standards in The objective of the industry is for animals the abattoir industry. Abattoirs are required to be converted into edible products by to undergo independent meat inspection, slaughtering them in a humane manner and and this is one of the services offered by the by processing the carcass and organs in a Association, which has over 180 members hygienic and efficient way. The slaughter currently, although it continues to recruit new process includes de-hiding and evisceration, members among the smaller abattoir sector. so with cattle and sheep it involves skinning The abattoir industry once comprised procedures, and in the case of pigs, de-hairing. mainly large high throughput abattoirs, but Slaughter technique training is provided the number of smaller operations has risen to member abattoirs according to a monthly dramatically since deregulation in 1994. programme. The abattoir’s slaughter practices
1991
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