Slaughterhouse - Process

Process

The slaughterhouse process differs by species and region and may be controlled by civil law as well as religious laws such as Kosher and Halal laws. A typical U.S. procedure follows:

1. Cattle (mostly steers and heifers, some cows, and even fewer bulls) arrive via truck or rail from a ranch, farm, or feedlot.
2. Place animals in holding pens.
3. Knock them out by applying an electric shock of 300 volts and 2 amps to the back of the head, effectively stunning them, or by use of a captive bolt pistol to the front of the cow's head (a pneumatic or cartridge-fired captive bolt). Swine can be rendered unconscious by CO₂/inert gas stunning. (This step is prohibited under strict application of Halal and Kashrut codes.)
4. Hang them upside down by both of their hind legs and place them on the processing line.
5. Sever the carotid artery and jugular vein with a knife. The blood drains from the body, causing death through exsanguination.
6. Remove the head and feet.
7. Cut around the digestive tract to prevent fecal contamination later in the process.
8. Remove the hide/skin by "down pullers", "side pullers" and "fisting" off the pelt (sheep and goats). Hides can also be removed by laying the carcase on a cradle and skinning with a knife.
9. Remove internal organs and inspect them for parasites and signs of disease. Separate the viscera from the heart and lungs, referred to as the "pluck" for inspection. Also separate livers for inspection. Drop or remove tongues from the head, and send the head down the line on head hooks or head racks for inspection of the lymph nodes for signs of systemic disease.
10. A government inspector inspects the carcase for safety. (This inspection is performed by the Food Safety Inspection Service in the U.S., and Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Canada.)
11. Reduce levels of bacteria using interventions such as steam, hot water, and organic acids.
12. Optionally Electrically stimulate cattle and sheep (only) to improve meat tenderness.
13. Chill carcases to prevent the growth of microorganisms and to reduce meat deterioration while the meat awaits distribution.
14. Cut the chilled carcase into primal cuts, subprimals and/or leave intact as a "side" of meat. Beef and horse carcases are always split in half and then quartered, pork is split into sides only and goat/veal/mutton and lamb is left whole.
15. The remaining carcase may be further processed to extract any residual traces of meat, usually termed advanced meat recovery or mechanically separated meat, for human or animal consumption.
16. Materials such as bone, lard or tallow, are sent to a rendering plant. Also, lard and tallow can be used for the production of biodiesel or heating oil.
17. The wastewater, consisting of blood and fecal matter, generated by the slaughtering process is sent to a waste water treatment plant.
18. The meat is transported to distribution centers that then distribute to retail markets.