Career summary

Details for Slaughterers and Meat Packers


Description

Work in slaughtering, meat packing, or wholesale establishments performing precision functions involving the preparation of meat. Work may include specialized slaughtering tasks, cutting standard or premium cuts of meat for marketing, making sausage, or wrapping meats.

Tasks

  • Remove bones, and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing.
  • Cut, trim, skin, sort, and wash viscera of slaughtered animals to separate edible portions from offal.
  • Slaughter animals in accordance with religious law, and determine that carcasses meet specified religious standards.
  • Slit open, eviscerate, and trim carcasses of slaughtered animals.
  • Tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.
  • Sever jugular veins to drain blood and facilitate slaughtering.
  • Shave or singe and defeather carcasses, and wash them in preparation for further processing or packaging.
  • Trim, clean, or cure animal hides.
  • Shackle hind legs of animals to raise them for slaughtering or skinning.
  • Skin sections of animals or whole animals.
  • Trim head meat, and sever or remove parts of animals' heads or skulls.
  • Saw, split, or scribe carcasses into smaller portions to facilitate handling.
  • Grind meat into hamburger, and into trimmings used to prepare sausages, luncheon meats, and other meat products.
  • Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
  • Wrap dressed carcasses or meat cuts.

Interests

  • Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Education, training, experience

  • Education - These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
  • Training - Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
  • Experience - Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Knowledge

  • Food Production -Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.

Skills

None found.

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