This part of ISO 6887 specifies rules for the preparation of samples taken at all stages from the farm to the slaughterhouse and their suspension for microbiological examination when the samples require different preparation from the methods described in ISO 6887-1. ISO 6887-1 defines the general rules for the preparation of the initial suspension and decimal dilutions for microbiological examination.

This part of ISO 6887 excludes the preparation of samples for both enumeration and detection test methods where preparation details are specified in the relevant International Standards.

This part of ISO 6887 is applicable to various samples taken from the hatchery, the farm, from the vehicle or the animals during transportation, or from animals or their carcasses in the slaughterhouse, to indicate the microbiological status of the animals in relation to zoonotic agents. This part of ISO 6887 does not apply to samples taken to assess the hygiene of meat. These are covered by ISO 6887-2.

This part of ISO 6887 does not consider samples taken from the aquatic environment (marine or freshwater) at the primary production stage. These are covered by ISO 6887-3.