Meat+Poultry - December 2021 - 18

SOSLAND PUBLISHING
years
Grandin was one of the first researchers
published in the Journal of Animal Science
addressing fear as a psychological stressor
experienced by livestock during handling and
transport. That groundbreaking research,
titled, " Assessment of Stress During Handling
and Transport, " was published in 1997.
" I got the 'fear' word and some of that
neuroscience brain research into the animal
science literature, in the veterinary literature,
because for a long time you couldn't say that, "
Grandin said.
" It is completely recognized today
that animals have fear; that animals have
emotional systems. "
Temple Grandin garnered
credibility in the industry
after she designed the
cattle handling systems
for all of Cargill's plants
in North America.
production facilities as well as vaccines and
nutrition regimens that advance the health
of more broilers. She said consumers today
want to know food animals are treated well
by food companies they hold responsible for
animal welfare.
PERCEPTION MATTERS
The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of
1978 signaled a significant tide shift in the
industry and a heightened awareness among
consumers about the treatment of animals. The
perception of animals' role in society among
humans has slowly evolved and the concept of
animal rights and animal welfare began to be
reconsidered as research about animals' ability
to feel pain, sense fear and possibly possess
souls became more widely held.
One of the world's most-respected experts
on animal welfare and animal behavior,
Grandin said the first step in the slow process
of improving animal handling in the industry
was accepting that livestock have senses
similar to humans. As a person with autism,
Grandin said she and the animals she has
dedicated her life to share the traits of being
visual thinkers and hyper-sensitive to sensorybased
stimulants.
" One of the first things that happened a
long time ago was recognizing that animals can
feel pain, " Grandin said, pointing out that for
many decades, neuroscientists confirmed that
animals experience fear.
18 MEAT+POULTRY | 12.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Despite the passage of the Humane
Methods of Slaughter Act of 1978, animal
welfare practices in the meat and poultry
industry were sorely lacking. Grandin said
even after '78, what was considered normal
was nothing short of atrocious.
" The '80s were about the worst, " she said,
and she realized there were opportunities for
her to be a change agent. Another emerging
force pushing consumers and food companies
to change at that time were animal activist
groups, including the People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane
Society of the United States (HSUS).
By the time the Humane Methods of
Slaughter Act of 1978 was passed, Grandin had
earned her master's degree from Arizona State
University, where she was a frequent visitor
at plants there, including the Swift plant in
Tolleson, Ariz., as well as a Cudahy pork plant
near Phoenix. She recalled each company
proudly posted signs in their lobbies promoting
the use of humane slaughtering practices,
realizing the importance of animal welfare well
ahead of many companies. In the late 1980s,
Grandin moved to Illinois to pursue a doctorate
at the University of Illinois.
Her early work focused on improving chute
systems. In the 1980s and early '90s, Grandin
developed the industry's first-ever center-track
restrainer system, based on a concept from
researchers at the University of Connecticut.
Recognizing it as a more humane option to
V-restrainers, Grandin adapted the university's
plywood prototype and modified it for use in
slaughter plant environments. Establishing
the correct use of the center-track restrainers
in the early 1990s proved to be challenging,
Courtesy of Temple Grandin
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - December 2021

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