Evisceration department

“Oven-ready” means that the chickens are ready to cook. They are plucked, gutted, the giblets are “harvested”, as we say in the trade, and both the chicken and the giblets are checked for possible diseases. The chickens pass through various control stations. The official animal inspection is carried out by veterinarians and controllers of the local authority. The carcasses and their innards, the giblets, are checked and defective ones are removed. The giblets are then separated mechanically and the heart, liver and stomach are further processed.

Control stations

At the first two control stations the breast side of the chicken is examined by official controllers. This includes checking them for mechanical damage caused by the scalding/plucking, such as broken bones or colour differences on their skin. The chicken then pass through the machines that harvest the giblets. At the second control station, the chickens and giblets are checked. This time the official controller views the chicken from behind and the corresponding packet of giblets. The meat inspectors are trained by the veterinary inspection office.