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Unit of study_
VETS6321: Abattoir Placement
2025 unit information
The 2-day Abattoir Placement provides practical exposure to the work that veterinarians do in export abattoirs. The placement builds on content delivered in earlier years of the degree, as well as VETS6301 Veterinary Public Practice (e. g. foodborne zoonoses, carcass inspection, abattoir pathology, chemical residues testing, and animal welfare at slaughter). During this placement you will be under the supervision of an On-Plant Veterinarian (OPV) who will liaise with the School, review the aims of the rotation with you, and assess your performance via a standard report form. You are expected to fully participate in agreed activities whilst attending the placement. Abattoir placements are a mandatory requirement of the DVM and are undertaken at Sydney School of Veterinary Science approved placements at export abattoir sites in Australia and overseas. You will complete this 2-day placement after completion of the food safety content in VETS6301 in Semester 1 within one of the School's prescribed rotation periods. Risk assessments are regularly conducted for units that require the completion of compulsory learning activities that may expose students to zoonotic diseases. These assessments aim to identify appropriate risk mitigation controls, such as vaccination against vaccine- preventable zoonoses. Risk assessments are regularly conducted for units that require the completion of compulsory learning activities that may expose students to zoonotic diseases. These assessments aim to identify appropriate risk mitigation controls, such as vaccination against vaccine- preventable zoonoses. Vaccination against Q fever (Coxiella burnetii) is an inherent requirement for students enrolling in this unit of study. Students must be vaccinated against Q fever before commencing the unit or no later than week two of the enrolled teaching session. Q fever vaccination is only available in Australia with the vaccination process taking three weeks to complete. Students must also submit a Q fever Vaccination Declaration upon enrolment. Students who fail to receive vaccination by the specified deadline and/or submit a Q fever Vaccination Declaration are precluded from practical learning activities and will not be able to satisfactorily complete relevant units of study and/or progress in their course more generally. Please refer to the University’s website https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/q-fever-vaccinations.html for more information on student vaccinations.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Science
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | School of Veterinary Science Academic Operations |
| Credit points | 0 |
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Prerequisites:
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VETS6101 and VETS6102 and VETS6103 and VETS6104 and VETS6105 and VETS6106 and VETS6107 and VETS6108 and VETS6121 and VETS6122 and VETS6123 and VETS6124 and VETS6125 and VETS6126 and VETS6127 and VETS6128 and VETS6201 and VETS6202 and VETS6203 and VETS6204 and VETS6205 and VETS6206 and VETS6207 and VETS6208 and VETS6221 and VETS6222 |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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VETS6301 |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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Content of all DVM Year 1, Year 2 units of study, VETS6301 |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Apply knowledge from pre-clinical and para-clinical units of study to common situations encountered in export abattoirs.
- LO2. Understand the role of on plant veterinarians (OPV) and meat inspectors at export abattoirs.
- LO3. Show competence in relevant technical skills relevant to postmortem inspections.
- LO4. Demonstrate knowledge on major legislative and regulatory frameworks relevant to animal welfare, the slaughter process as well as food quality.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Intensive April 2025
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Professional practice | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Intensive May - June 2025
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Professional practice | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Intensive December 2025
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Professional practice | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Intensive June - July 2025
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Online | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Intensive June - July 2025
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Professional practice | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Intensive August - September 2025
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Professional practice | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Find your current year census dates
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
Important enrolment information
Additional advice
The abattoir placement is undertaken at School approved export abattoir sites in Australia and overseas. Students will complete a 2-day placement after completion of the food safety content in VETS6301 in semester 1 within one of the School prescribed rotation periods.
