ISO 19599:2025

Overview

ISO 19599:2025, Operating procedures of chicken slaughtering, specifies internationally recognized procedures for the humane, hygienic, and efficient slaughter of chickens. Developed by ISO Technical Committee 34, this standard aims to harmonize practices across the poultry processing industry, improving food safety, animal welfare, and product quality. By providing clear guidance for each stage of the slaughter process, ISO 19599:2025 helps slaughterhouses and food processing facilities meet regulatory requirements, satisfy market expectations, and ensure consistent product standards.

Key Topics

ISO 19599:2025 details a comprehensive set of procedures and requirements across the chicken slaughtering process, covering the following critical areas:

• Pre-slaughter requirements: Guidance on animal welfare assessment, ante-mortem inspection, optimal feed withdrawal periods, stock density, transportation conditions, and handling practices to ensure chicken welfare and reduce stress.
• Hanging and stunning: Instructions for safely removing chickens from transport containers, humane shackling, adequate stunning methods, and procedures for ensuring animals are unconscious before bleeding.
• Bleeding: Best practices for effective exsanguination, including timing and method to confirm the death of the animal prior to further processing.
• Scalding and defeathering: Recommendations for equipment, temperature and time controls, and thorough removal of feathers and skin, tailored for different breeds and seasons.
• Evisceration and by-product handling: Procedures for crop removal, bunging, disembowelling, careful evisceration to avoid contamination, and handling of edible by-products in a hygienic manner.
• Chilling, trimming, and freezing: Criteria for chilling and freezing to control carcass temperature, prevent spoilage, and maintain product safety and quality.
• Sorting, grading, and storage: Approaches to grading based on quality attributes, and storage recommendations per internationally recognized food hygiene standards.
• Food safety and inspection: Requirements for traceability, post-mortem inspection, HACCP implementation, and biosecurity measures.

Applications

ISO 19599:2025 provides practical value in a variety of use cases throughout the poultry sector, including:

• Slaughterhouses and meat processing facilities: To standardize operating procedures, support compliance with national and international regulations, and implement best practices across all production lines.
• Food safety authorities and certification bodies: As a benchmark for assessing and auditing chicken slaughter facilities, and verifying adherence to international standards.
• Exporters and importers: To ensure poultry products meet the legal and safety requirements of international markets, reducing barriers to trade.
• Animal welfare organizations: To monitor and encourage humane treatment of chickens during all slaughter processes, integrating animal welfare into food production.
• Training providers and consultants: As an authoritative resource for operational training and improvement programs in poultry processing.

Adhering to ISO 19599:2025 allows stakeholders to streamline operations, enhance food safety, demonstrate commitment to animal welfare, and gain wider market acceptance.

Related Standards

Compliance with ISO 19599:2025 may require reference or integration with related standards, such as:

• ISO/TS 34700:2016 - Animal welfare management, general requirements for food supply chain organizations
• ISO 22000:2018 - Food safety management systems requirements
• CAC/RCP 58-2005 - Code of Hygienic Practice for Meat
• CXC 1-1969 - General Principles of Food Hygiene
• World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code (TAHC)

Adopting ISO 19599:2025 helps organizations align with global best practices in chicken slaughtering operations, contributing to higher standards of food safety, animal welfare, and international trade compatibility.