***WARNING***Do not eat while reading this post. Unless you have a stomach of iron. Which, if you do, is really cool.

Slaughterhouse process
The slaughterhouse process differs by species and region, and may be controlled by religious laws such as Kosher and halal laws. A typical procedure follows:


1. A steer restrained for stunning just prior to slaughter.Animals are received by truck or rail from a ranch, farm, or feedlot.
2. Animals are herded into holding pens (see Judas goat).
3. Animals receive a preslaughter inspection.
4. Animals are usually rendered unconscious by stunning or "knocking" using various methods including the use of a captive bolt pistol, breaking the animal's neck or applying an electric shock to the animal's temples. Livestock are also rendered unconscious by CO2 stunning and by live fire (used at the small locker plants). (This step is prohibited under strict application of Halal and Kashrut codes.)
5. Animals are hung by one hind leg on the processing line.
6. A main artery is cut and the animal's blood drains, causing death. (Alternatively, this step can be carried out on a metal tray before the animal is hung on the processing line, as is common in halal and kashrut butchering)
7. The hide/skin/plumage is removed.
8. The carcass is inspected and graded by a government inspector for quality and safety. (This inspection is performed by the Food Safety Inspection Service in the US, and CFIA in Canada.)
9. The internal organs are removed and inspected for internal parasites. The viscera (guts) are separated for inspection from the pluck (heart and lungs), livers are separated for inspection, tongues are dropped or removed from the head and the head is sent down the line on the head hooks or head racks for inspection.
10. The carcass is cut apart and the body parts separated.
11. Meat cuts are quickly chilled to prevent the growth of microorganisms and to reduce meat deterioration while the meat awaits distribution.
12. The remaining carcass may be further processed to extract any residual traces of meat, usually termed mechanically recovered meat, which may be used for human or animal consumption.
13. Waste materials, such as lard or tallow, are sent to a rendering plant.
14. The waste water generated by the slaughtering process and the cleaning of the slaughter house is treated in a waste water treatment plant.
15. The meat is transported to distribution centers that distribute to local retail markets.


Ew.