Meat+Poultry - December 2021 - 20

SOSLAND PUBLISHING
years
The plants that
maintain their
equipment,
handle their
animals calmly
and have strong
enough stun
tools just don't
experience too
many issues. "
- ERIKA VOOGD
auditing criteria. Once the auditing system
was implemented throughout the McDonald's
system in North America, plants were able
to identify and fix problems throughout the
McDonald's network of suppliers.
" When McDonald's required suppliers to
use the audit, " Karczewski said, " that was a
world-changing event for the meat industry. "
" In six months, I saw more change than I've
seen in my whole entire career, " Grandin said.
It didn't take long for competitors, Wendy's
and Burger King to get on board, following
the leader by auditing plants and investing
resources in animal welfare.
The buy-in from McDonald's in 1999
signaled a huge shift for any meat company
supplying customers in the QSR segment
and beyond.
Erika Voogd was one of the first
McDonald's humane handling officers. Voogd
recalled how the plants she was working with
when the new animal handling audits began
were focused on efficiency and maximizing the
number of head processed with little regard for
the welfare of the animals.
Erika Voogd (left) was
one of McDonald's first
animal welfare officers.
" This meant that if every cow or pig needed
to be electrically prodded to get them to enter a
stun box or restrainer, it was common practice, "
said Voogd, who has operated Voogd Consulting
Inc. in West Chicago since 2003. " Nowadays, it
is uncommon for the electric prod to need to be
used more than 5% to 10% of the time and many
plants have eliminated use almost completely. "
When Grandin's system was introduced,
electric prods could only be used to move pigs
or cattle 25% of the time. Efforts to reduce
balking, slipping and falling became a priority
for suppliers of meat products to the world's
largest QSR chains.
" The plants needed to think smarter and
eliminate the slippery floors and distractions
that kept animals from moving forward, "
Voogd said.
When it came to stunning cattle prior to
the new animal welfare auditing system, it
was not uncommon for multiple shots to be
administered due to an agitated, stressed
animal or a poorly maintained captivebolt
stunner.
" This was a typical process; double
stunning cattle routinely, " Voogd said.
However, the new guidelines only allowed
for a maximum of 5% of double shots when
they were introduced in 1999 and then lowered
to four out of 100 as of 2018.
" Plants needed to ensure that the stun tool
was in excellent condition and strong enough
to stun the animal, even as cattle and pigs
became heavier and larger over the years. Also,
the handling operators needed to develop calm
handling methods to assure that the animals
were not stressed when presented to the
slaughter area for stunning, " Voogd said.
Today it is rare for Voogd to record a double
shot during a one-hour audit at the plants she
works with throughout North America. She
said, at most, it is an occasional occurrence.
" The plants that maintain their equipment,
handle their animals calmly and have strong
enough stun tools just don't experience too
many issues, " she said.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Voogd added that technology has played a role
in improving animal welfare. Implementing
third-party remote video auditing of animal
handling practices has been adopted by most
of the major meat and poultry companies in
the industry.
Stunning technology has also made great
strides through the years, including captivebolt
stunners.
" They are stronger in caliber and force
and more ergonomically acceptable for the
operator. This has made stunning easier and
less likely to fail, " Voogd said.
20 MEAT+POULTRY | 12.21 | www.meatpoultry.com
Courtesy of Voogd Consulting Inc.
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - December 2021

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