An Integrative Approach to Sanitary and Disease
Prevention for Small Scale Poultry Slaughterhouse
in Thailand and Vietnam
Ecosystem Approaches to the Better Management of Zoonotic Emerging Infectious
Diseases in the Southeast Asia Region (EcoZD) project
EcoHealth Conference, Kunming China 2012
Suwit Chotinun, Suvichai Rojanastien, Terdsak Yano, Nguyen Viet Khong,
PHAM THI Ngoc, Fred Unger, Hung Nguyen Viet, Dinh Xuan Tung

Introduction

The objectives of the study
1. To demonstrate the integrative approach for sustainable
improvement of small scale poultry slaughterhouse in rural
Northern Thailand and urban areas of Hanoi
2. To elucidate the hygienic status of small scale poultry
slaughterhouses and their affect to ecological and health in
the community
3. To sustainably enhance hygiene and functioning of the
slaughterhouses.

Study area
Thailand Vietnam

Materials and methods
• Participatory action research was used in this study
• Ecohealth perspective was also used as a core
component
• The study methodology was developed by the
researchers and the target stakeholders at the
beginning

Conceptual framework
SH improvement
1. Identify SH problems
2. Develop frame work and
methodology
3. Collect baseline data
Framework and method 4. Identify hygienic status and risk
5. Develop improvement guideline
development
6. Disseminate results to the SH
Step 1: Problem identification owners
Step 2: Problem solving plan 7. Monitoring and evaluation
Step 3: Action 8. Policy advocacy
Step 4: Evaluation

Participatory action research
• Framework and methodology development
 The government authorities (high level and the field level)
and the slaughterhouse owners were invited to discuss
the study at the beginning
 The problems of the current situation were identified by
the participants through the inception meeting and
discussion
 After the problems were identified, the framework and
methodology were developed
 Two-way communication with involved groups was used
throughout in the study (give example)

Problem identification
• Identified problems
1. The slaughterhouses played role of the “hot spot” for
food-borne disease spreading
2. The regulation of the standard SH will be strictly
compulsive in 2012
3. The SH owners could not follow the law/regulation and
some SHs had to stop operation

Stakeholders identification
Local
Public health administration
authorities officers
DLD SH owners
officers Poultry
SH
Consumer
Environmental
officers
People in
Meat vendors
community

Trans-disciplinary approach
Environment
Pollution
Community’s
Occupational
force
disease
Educational
5.Social 1.Public health
status Food
Safety
Hygienic
Local 2.Veterinary Vet
Practice
administration service
4 La
4.Law
DLD
& g
&regulation 3.Economic
Living
MPH expense
Investment Income
cost Profit
t Debt

Data collection tools development
 The multiple tools were used to address the multi-
dimension problems
1. Review document
2. Structured questionnaires
3. Observation and checklist
4. Interviews
5. Sample collection for sentinel bacteria: Salmonella spp and
total bacteria count
6. Focus group discussion

Data collection tools development

Step 1: Problem identification
 Baseline data collected to identify the situation and
problems
• Law and regulation: Existing and its implementation
• SH management
• Public health: Consumer’s knowledge, attitude, and
practices of poultry meat consumption and food safety

Step 1: Problem identification
• Slaughterhouse management
 Slaughtering process
• Sentinels: Salmonella spp. and total bacteria count
 Disease control and prevention
• Biosecurity
 Veterinary services
 Environment  Waste management and affection to
environment
 KAP of food safety of the slaughterhouse owners

Data analysis
• Qualitative and quantitative analysis were used to
analyzed the data
• The results were back to the government officers and
the slaughterhouses owners through the meeting
and the discussion to get feedback from the main
stakeholders

Data analysis
 “Indicators” for hygienic practices
• Score from questionnaires, observation and checklist
• Sentinel bacteria : Salmonella spp.

Guideline development
• The simple blueprint for the small scale poultry
slaughterhouse was developed
• The standard of operation was established
• Those guideline was back to the slaughterhouses
owners again  Practical and suitable for small scale

Monitoring and evaluation
• Outcome mapping was used as a tool for monitoring
change of behavior and adaptation
– Five Slaughterhouses were selected for evaluate the success of
the guideline development and knowledge transfer
– Those slaughterhouses were regularly visited to follow the
progression
• The meeting with associated government authorities will
be held to advocate the results to the policy level

Results
1. The participatory action research
2. The hygienic status
• Factors affecting to hygienic status
3. Intervention strategies

Law and regulation

Slaughtering process and
hygienic practices

Slaughter Scald Soak in water
Defeather Soak in water Defeather

Scald Storage

Bacteriological results-Salmonella spp.

Bacteriological data-Overall Salmonella spp.

Hygienic management on SH
Class Percentage
Good 0% (0/46)
Fair 6.5% (3/46)
Poor 93.5% (43/46)

• VN team result

Environmental management

waste water management
Waste water management Frequency Percent
Treatment pool 5 10.9
Waste water collecting pool 8 17.4
Other 6 13.0
None 27 58.7
Total 46 100.0

• VN team result

Veterinary services

Results- Live chicken inspection
Live chicken inspection Frequency Percent
Yes (paravet) 1 2.2
No 45 97.8
Total
46 100.0

Results- Meat inspection
Live chicken inspection Frequency Percent
Yes 0 0.0
No 46 100.0
Total
46 100.0

Law and regulation
• Food safety is the
Government’s policy
• SH regulation is very high
standards and it is suitable
for large scale
• Researches are needed to
solve the problem 
community SH

Law and regulation
• All SHs must address Standard
certification within 2012
• Current regulation is
impracticable for small scale
SHs
• All small SH can not achieve
standard regulation

Law and regulation
• Almost all of the owners
cannot improve SH follow the
DLD regulation
• The main problem include
– Not enough budget (70%)
– Impractical criteria of STD SH
(90%)
• 70% of owner indicated that
they had to stop running
business if officers strictly
perform of regulation

• VN team result

The SH improvement
• Before this project was operated, the owners did not know
how to improve the slaughterhouse
• The owners accepted the guideline and implement follow the
recommendation developed from this study
• At present, the owners were still improving their
slaughterhouses

Discussion
 Factors affecting to the hygienic management
• The knowledge and perception of the owner’s regarding
the food safety was low  the unhygienic practices were
common observed
• Law income from slaughterhouses  lack of budget for
investment
• The competition with modern trades was high especially in
urban area

Discussion
• This study could demonstrated that the PAR and Ecohealth
approach was effective tool for solving complex and multi-
dimension problems
• Traditional approach is still done “for” rather than done
“with” (Dakubo, 2004)
• This study demonstrated high impact on policy

Conclusion
• Thailand and Vietnam

The challenge
• Need to discuss with Fred

EcoZD Project
For more information about the EcoZD project, please visit:
www.ilri.org/ecozd
www.ilriasia.wordpress.com/tag/ecozd