Rethinking inspection in slaughterhouses: Opportunities and challenges arising from a shared risk management system in poultry slaughterhouses

Health surveillance systems are increasingly managed in a cooperative way, involving several stakeholders sharing tasks. In France, specially-trained poultry slaughterhouse staff are allowed to participate in the tasks of official auxiliaries under the supervision and responsibility of Official Veterinary Services (OVS), on the basis of a risk analysis. To properly organise interactions between stakeholders in this multi-stakeholder risk management, the current control system is based on alerts from Food Business Operators (FBOs) to OVS. A field study was conducted in order to describe the ways alerts are raised in practice, to identify the impact of this method on work organisation and communication, and highlight the opportunities it may offer. Thirty poultry slaughterhouses were surveyed through semi-directive interviews held separately with the official veterinarian/auxiliary and/or the quality manager/assistant. The interviews were qualitatively analysed. A wide range of modus operandi - both for control task division and communication tools - was observed in the field depending on slaughterhouse organisation, the alert's severity or the quality of the relationships between stakeholders. Internal alert-raising procedures were implemented in all cases. This surveillance system was considered efficient as long as the work organisation was clearly described, i.e. the organisation of positions, definition of missions and roles, and implementation of specific procedures for information exchange and training programmes. The pivotal challenges entailed limiting the administrative burden and building trusting relationships. In conclusion, this innovative system appears relevant due to tailored alert criteria, pre-implementation preparations and system formalisation, and cooperation between stakeholders. It also offers the OVS an opportunity to reaffirm their central position in risk-based meat inspection.