Meat+Poultry - January 2022 - 80

FROM THE CORRAL
Auditing pro tips
Recently there have been more
questions on the best procedures for
collecting numerical data for the North
American Meat Institute's (NAMI)
animal welfare audits. This is likely
due to Professional Animal Auditor
Certification (PAACO) classes being
taught online.
A major area of confusion is scoring
of vocalization of cattle and pigs. For
cattle, all animals that vocalize in the
stun box or restrainer must be counted.
In the lead-up chute, vocalizing cattle
that occur while they are actively being
moved are counted. Each individual
bovine is scored as either silent or
vocal. In cattle, it is easy to determine
if the vocalizations are originating from
either a single bovine or multiple cattle.
With groups of pigs, it is almost
impossible to determine if one pig or
multiple pigs are squealing. This is the
reason why the NAMI guideline scores
pig vocalizations only in the conveyor
restrainer or a single animal stun
box on a per animal basis. They are
classified as either vocal or silent.
Depending on the size of the plant,
data that is collected is either for 100, 50,
or 25 animals. For very small plants, that
may have 10 or less animals processed
per day, all the animals are scored.
For large plants over 150 per
hour all species: Score three groups
of 100 cattle, pigs or sheep. The total
number of animals scored would
be 300. The first group would be for
scoring insensibility and the location
of the auditor would be in the bleeding
area. For the second group of 100,
the auditor would be located near
the stunner to score either captive
bolt stunning or wand placement for
electric stunning. At this same time,
vocalization would also be scored.
For a third group of 100 animals, the
auditor would be located by either
the lead-up chute or the last group
going into a CO2 chamber. Falling and
electric prod use would be scored for
all species. All scores are per animal.
Before collecting the numerical
sample for falls and electric prod use, I
would go to the crowd pen and watch
three or four groups of animals passing
through it. If there were zero falls and
zero electric prod use, I then collected
the entire numerical sample near the
stun box or restrainer entrance. If I
observed falls or prods, I would split
the numerical sample and score half at
the crowd pen and half at the stun box
or restrainer entrance.
The third group of 100 cattle would
also be scored for vocalization, both in
the leadup and in the stun box. Falls at
the unloading area are scored as part of
the transportation audit.
Medium plants 25 to 150 per
hour of all species: In most plants of
this size, two groups of either 100 or
50 animals are scored. To have clear
sample boundaries, the number scored
should be determined before the audit
starts. The first group is scored for
insensibility in the bleed area. For the
second group, the auditor should find
a position to stand where they can see
both the stunner and the leadup chute.
This makes it possible to simultaneously
score stunning, falling, electric prods
and vocalization. In a stun box, all
animals that fall before stunning are
counted. For falls, the auditor should
also walk around to determine if falling
is a problem in some other part of the
chutes, crowd pen, or main drive alley.
If they observe falling, a third group
should be scored for falls.
Small plants - under 25 per hour
of all species: Score two groups of 25
animals using the same procedure as
the medium sized plants.
Very small plants - all species:
Score all the animals that can
be observed during one hour of
production. The auditor will have to
simultaneously score insensibility,
stunning, falling, vocalization and
electric prod use. When the sample size
is under 10 animals, they are allowed
one mistake for electric prods, falls,
vocalization or stunning.
All acts of abuse or a sensible
animal hung on the rail is an automatic
failed audit. Any act of abuse must
be reported.
TEMPLE GRANDIN | meatpoult r y@sos land.com
With groups of pigs, it is almost
impossible to determine if one pig
or multiple pigs are squealing.
80 MEAT+POULTRY | 01.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
Rosalie Winard
http://www.meatpoultry.com
Meat+Poultry - January 2022

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