Meat, Poultry and Seafood Process Workers play a crucial role in the Australian food industry. They are responsible for the slaughter and evisceration of poultry, as well as the processing, grading, and packaging of meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish.

Indicative Skill Level:

Most occupations within the Meat, Poultry and Seafood Process Workers unit group require a certain level of skill and qualifications. In Australia, this includes an AQF Certificate I or compulsory secondary education, which is classified as ANZSCO Skill Level 5. In New Zealand, a NZQF Level 1 qualification or compulsory secondary education is also considered ANZSCO Skill Level 5. While some occupations may require a short period of on-the-job training, others may not require any formal qualification or training.

Tasks Include:

• Processing offal and tripe
• Moving carcasses to chillers and freezers
• Loading meat products into trucks
• Packing boned and sliced meat into cartons
• Stunning and shackling poultry for killing and processing
• Severing jugular veins of poultry, and removing viscera and residual material from poultry carcasses
• Separating organs and glands, such as sweetbreads, livers, hearts, and spleens, from poultry carcasses
• Inspecting and grading poultry, fish, and shellfish for size and quality
• Packing fish and counting packs before freezing, and packing frozen fish blocks into cartons
• Operating machines which slice, peel, skin, and crumb fish
• Cleaning and sanitising equipment and work areas

Occupations:

• 831311 Meat Process Worker
• 831312 Poultry Process Worker
• 831313 Seafood Process Worker

831311 Meat Process Worker

A Meat Process Worker specializes in processing the carcasses of slaughtered livestock and preparing meat and meat products. This occupation requires a skill level of 5. There is also a specialization available for Offal Separator.

831312 Poultry Process Worker

A Poultry Process Worker is responsible for stunning and killing poultry, dressing, trimming, cutting into portions, boning, filleting, weighing, grading, and packaging poultry. This occupation also requires a skill level of 5. Specializations within this occupation include Poultry Boner and Poultry Slaughterer.

831313 Seafood Process Worker

A Seafood Process Worker is involved in scaling, cleaning, filleting, cutting, shelling, grading, and packaging fish and shellfish. This occupation also requires a skill level of 5. Specializations within this occupation include Abalone Sheller, Mussel Opener (NZ), and Oyster Opener.

Overall, Meat, Poultry and Seafood Process Workers play a vital role in ensuring the quality and safety of meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish products in Australia. Their skills and expertise contribute to the success of the food industry and the satisfaction of consumers.