This directive instructs Public Health Veterinarians (PHVs) and offline and online inspection program personnel (IPP) on how to perform ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of poultry and how to inspect the conditions under which the birds are processed. It also instructs PHVs on how to make post-mortem dispositions for some poultry diseases and how to document these dispositions in the Public Health Information System (PHIS). FSIS has revised this directive to remove instructions for verifying poultry good commercial practices, covered separately in FSIS Directive 6110.1, Verification of Poultry Good Commercial Practices. New sections further clarify instructions issued in FSIS notices to include disposition for poultry kidneys, “Woody Breast” and “White Striping” conditions, line speed and process control assessment, and post-mortem inspection documentation. The information for “Woody Breast” includes instructions for when IPP observe signs of inflammation, associated with this condition, in further processing.

With the exception of instructions in Sections IV (Ante-mortem Inspection) and VI (Diseases and Conditions–Supplemental Information), which apply to IPP in all official poultry slaughter establishments, this directive is for IPP at establishments that do not operate under the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS). C. IPP in NPIS establishments are to also refer to FSIS Directive 6500.1, New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS): Post-mortem Inspection and Verification of Ready-to-Cook Requirement.

KEY POINTS:

• Describes the ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection procedures for poultry
• Provides supplemental information regarding diseases and conditions, including “Woody Breast” and “White Striping”
• Explains how IPP inspect airsacculitis salvage operations
• Sets out how PHVs verify evisceration line speed process control and assess additional factors that may have an impact on the ability of IPP to perform proper inspection procedures
• Provides the documentation procedures for findings made during post-mortem poultry inspection, including the Animal Disposition Reporting (ADR) function in PHIS