Occupation

Slaughterers and Meat Packers

Human Advantage 62%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Moderate Risk
4.6 / 10

Some tasks in this role may be augmented by AI, but human oversight and interpersonal skills remain important.

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

Also Known As: Animal Killer, Animal Sticker, Animal Stunner, Beef Killer, Beef Splitter, Bitter, Boning Room Worker, Brainer +39 more

Video

Supplemental Tasks (14)

  1. Remove bones, and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing.
  2. Sever jugular veins to drain blood and facilitate slaughtering.
  3. Tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.
  4. Shackle hind legs of animals to raise them for slaughtering or skinning.
  5. Slit open, eviscerate, and trim carcasses of slaughtered animals.
  6. Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
  7. Skin sections of animals or whole animals.
  8. Cut, trim, skin, sort, and wash viscera of slaughtered animals to separate edible portions from offal.
  9. Shave or singe and defeather carcasses, and wash them in preparation for further processing or packaging.
  10. Saw, split, or scribe carcasses into smaller portions to facilitate handling.
  11. Trim head meat, and sever or remove parts of animals' heads or skulls.
  12. Grind meat into hamburger, and into trimmings used to prepare sausages, luncheon meats, and other meat products.
  13. Trim, clean, or cure animal hides.
  14. Wrap dressed carcasses or meat cuts.

Education & Training

Job Zone 2 Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed
Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
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.
On-the-Job 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.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
61%
Less than a High School Diploma
29%
Some College Courses
11%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software

Software (9)

  • AccountMate Software AccountMate
  • AgInfoLink Meat Inventory Tracking System MITS
  • Integrated Management Systems Food Connex Cloud
  • Operating system software
  • RFID software
  • Second Foundation NaviMeat
  • Traceability software

Tools & Equipment (34)

  • Bacon slicers
  • Belt conveyor systems
  • Blast chillers
  • Butcher knives
  • Carcass branding machines
  • Casing stuffing machines
  • Chop cutting machines
  • Cubing machines
  • Dehairing machines
  • Electrical stunning equipment
  • Food cooling equipment
  • Food scales
  • Hoisting equipment
  • Industrial forklifts
  • Knife sharpeners
  • Label printers
  • Livestock shackles
  • Meat cleavers
  • Meat compactors
  • Meat grading probes
  • Meat grinders
  • Meat package filling and sealing machines
  • Meat-cutting bandsaws
  • Motorized saws
  • Package wrapping machines
  • Personal computers
  • Radio frequency identification RFID devices
  • Sharpening steels
  • Shoulder tattooers
  • Shrink wrap meat packing machines
  • Skinning knives
  • Slicing machines
  • Steak patty machines
  • Touch screen computers

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Food Science & Processing Advanced Manufacturing

Related Occupations

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Real Talk

Hear from real Slaughterers and Meat Packerss about their work: