III.

Cattle Slaughtering

In recent years laborsaving devices have been widely adopted in the dressing and processing of cattle. A continuous rail system is generally used today, whereby cattle are chained by one leg and hoisted to a movable pulley on an overhead rail and are then slaughtered; from this position blood leaves the body so quickly that death occurs almost instantly, and for purposes of kosher ritual this method of slaughtering is defined as humane even without prior stunning. The carcasses then move slowly along a continuously moving rail to stations where each required process is completed, including skinning, disemboweling, and beheading. Before going into refrigeration, the carcasses are cut down the backbone and split into sides. Beef is shipped to wholesalers and retailers as wholesale cuts, such as chucks, rounds, and loins; in fast-distribution plants the carcass is reduced all the way down to retail consumer cuts. Sides and quarters of beef are still sold, but they constitute less than 5 percent of sales.