Sustainable processing from end to end
Sustainability and animal welfare are today’s hot topics. As a supplier of processing equipment and systems to the poultry industry, Marel takes both fully into account when developing new processing systems and equipment.
BY ROY DRIESSEN, MAREL POULTRY M
arel can supply all poultry processing plant equipment starting in the growing shed when birds are ready for catching, loading and transport and ending with the treatment of
effluent and by-products. Two technologies at opposite ends of the process illustrate Marel’s commitment to sustainability, the Atlas live bird handling system and effluent treatment options from Marel Water Treatment Systems. Besides sustainability, improved animal welfare during catching and transport to the processing plant was a key factor in the development of Atlas (Advanced Technology Live bird Arrival System).
A comfortable journey The SmartStack transport module, the heart of Atlas, is both sustainable and maximises animal well-being. It consists of a variable number of self-nesting trays equipped with tried and tested Air-Flo floors. It has no frame and its pallet doubles as an additional tier for transporting birds.
The advantages of the transport module are many. Its Air-Flo floors provide a loading opening equivalent to 70% of the floor area of each tray. This offers the largest loading space available, allowing birds to be placed downwards on their feet and reduces the risk of damage to wings and legs during loading. Its trays also offer plenty of headroom, allowing birds to sit comfortably. Profiled Air-Flo floors provide adequate ventilation, have channels to collect manure and allow birds to grip during the twists and turns of the journey to the processing plant.
Processing plant benefits The transport module has welfare benefits too. On arrival at the processing plant, a vet can check bird health and condition in the lairage. By flipping over the side panel nearest to the bird, the vet can quickly remove any bird found to be in distress. When birds are ready to be processed, modules are gently de-stacked automatically. Open trays then move smoothly to the next stage in the process, which could be a Marel SmoothFlow controlled atmosphere stunning system. Possible DOAs can be easily removed from the open-top trays immediately after de- stacking, preventing them to be processed.
Emphasis on sustainability By accommodating birds in its pallet, the live bird handling system allows the transport of up to 38% more birds per trip, making for a considerably smaller carbon footprint. This feature also lowers transport costs making the transport
Air chilling has replaced water chilling in many markets. Most impor- tantly, water used during the process does not have to be lost.
44 ▶ SUSTAINABILITY AND WELFARE | OCTOBER 2020
The transport modules allows more birds to be transported per trip, making for smaller carbon footprint.
PHOTO: MAREL
PHOTO: MAREL
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