What Do Slaughterers And Meat Packers Do

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Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Slaughterers And Meat Packers

Slaughterers And Meat Packers 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.

Salary
$31210
Becoming One
Easy
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Low
Job Growth
Low

Personality


What they do

Slaughterers And Meat Packers 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.

  • Remove bones, and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing.
  • Sever jugular veins drain blood and facilitate slaughtering.
  • Tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.
  • Shackle the hind legs of animals to raise them for slaughtering or skinning.

Typical day

On a daily basis, Slaughterers and Meat Packers remove bones and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing. They tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.

A typical day for a Slaughterer and Meat Packer will also include:

  • Grind meat into hamburgers, and into trimmings used to prepare sausages, luncheon meats, and other meat products.
  • Slaughter animals in accordance with religious law, and determine that carcasses meet specified religious standards.
  • Slit open, eviscerate, and trim carcasses of slaughtered animals.
  • Trim, clean, or cure animal hides.
  • Saw, split, or scribe carcasses into smaller portions to facilitate handling.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Slaughterers and Meat Packers also wrap dressed carcasses or meat cuts. They may also stun animals prior to slaughter.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Slaughterers and Meat Packers cut, trim, skin, sort, and wash viscera of slaughtered animals to separate edible portions from offal. They might also grind the meat into hamburgers, and into trimmings used to prepare sausages, luncheon meats, and other meat products.

In addition, they trim head meat and sever or remove parts of animals’ heads or skulls.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them trim, clean, or cure animal hides.

To some Slaughterers and Meat Packers, it is also their responsibility to saw, split, or scribe carcasses into smaller portions to facilitate handling.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction

Low

Is this job meaningful

Low

61% said they were satisfied with their job and 46% said they found their job meaningful.


Niche Brislane

I am a Meat Processor. I cut and wrap meat for people to take home.

A typical day for me is up at 5 am to tend my own livestock and shower before I go to work.

Once at work the pace is generally fast with the Cows and Pigs coming in at 8am to be processed and be done by 1pm where they are then moved to a cooler for aging.

After a short lunch, we clean up and then start breaking down beef and pork that is already done being aged. Breaking it down into primal cuts to be further divided into counter recognizable cuts where they are then wrapped, labeled, and stored in a freezer ready for purchase or ready to go to the customer. After the final counter cuts are wrapped and stored we move to the end process which is scraping the beef or pork off the bones to become ground beef, sausage, Jerky or links as well as preparing pork for the brine to become bacons and ham.

Finishing out our day around 8pm we clean the entire processing, cutting, wrapping, and prep areas from top to bottom, setting it up for the next day.

Sprinkled throughout the day are tending to customers, answering phone calls, processing paperwork, and some retail tasks however the majority of our day is spent taking beautiful, well cared for livestock and turning it into beautiful ingredients.

Work environment

Cons

Firstly I would say that the biggest hurdles or cons are going to be that the industry is incredibly busy, your hours are long, the workload is high, it is by no means a clean job, and you generally gain insight into the flaws in the industry on a national scale (I work for a local custom processing business where we deal exclusively with individual local small farmers so for us we have the divide of locality and minority compared to say JBS and their intake from multi-million animal feedlots).

Pros

However the silver lining is that you gain a deeper connection to the resources and people responsible for your local supply chain, you gain knowledge that you can take anywhere, there’s no shortage of job security and lastly, you’ll find the character of your coworkers is always favorable. There’s a certain personality type that finds its niche in this line of work so you’ll rarely ever hate or have issues with coworkers. There are very few bad days.

Advice to students who are interested in this career path

Anyone interested in this line of work should be sure to carry a good sense of humor, a strong constitution, and a big work ethic. Students attending large animal sciences will thrive in this line of work as well as anyone who would like a closer look at where their food comes from.

For those who aren’t students simply finding your opening is all it takes. Always keep checking with your local processors to see if they need help and prepare to start as a meat wrapper or front end help. It in many ways is entry level friendly! Once you’re hired many meatsmiths are all too happy to train up the next generation so to speak as the bottleneck we’ve seen arise from covid merely took what was already there and intensified it. The largest hurdle is learning safety and sanitation regulations; but past that it’s an incredibly rewarding line of work to know that you are helping put a farmer’s love and labor into the last leg of its journey.


Pros

Suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.

Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.

This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.

It is very easy to get into this career. Little or no previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.

Cons

Not suitable for people who like to help and teach others.

One of the lowest paying jobs.

How much do they make

Average salary

$31210 per year

Average hourly wage

$15 per hour

Entry-level Slaughterers And Meat Packers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $23,170 to $27,050 per year or $11 to $13 per hour.

Salary by experience Annual Hourly
Highest (Top 10%) $40,000 $19
Senior (Top 25%) $35,980 $17
Median $30,710 $15
Junior (Bottom 25%) $27,050 $13
No experience (Bottom 10%) $23,170 $11

This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Slaughterers And Meat Packers based on their average annual salary.

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Animal Food Manufacturing $32550 $15.65
Animal Slaughtering and Processing $31310 $15.05
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods $30250 $14.55
Employment Services $28820 $13.85
Food and Beverage Stores $28160 $13.54

View more salary by industries here.

Where can they work

Where can Slaughterers And Meat Packers work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Slaughterers And Meat Packers including the average salary in that industry.

Employers Total Employed Annual Salary Hourly Wages
Animal Slaughtering and Processing 72020 $31310 $15.05
Employment Services 2020 $28820 $13.85
Food and Beverage Stores 920 $28160 $13.54
Animal Food Manufacturing 50 $32550 $15.65
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods $30250 $14.55

What is the work day like

Working hours

Less than 40 hours
16%

40 hours
26%

More than 40 hours
58%

Working schedule

64%

36%

0%

Email

How often do you use email in this job?

Once a week
4%

Every day
3%

Telephone

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Once a week
12%

Every day
16%

Group discussions

How often do you have group discussions in this job?

Once a week
3%

Every day
58%

Public speaking

How often does this job require you to do public speaking?

Never
44%

Once a year
21%

Once a month
19%

Once a week
15%

Every day
1%

Level of competition

How much competitive pressure is in this job?

Not competitive at all
15%

Slightly competitive
8%

Moderately competitive
42%

Highly competitive
33%

Extremely competitive
3%

What is the work environment like

Office-style environment

Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition

Never
18%

Once a year or more
4%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
78%

Warehouse-style environment

Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse

Never
62%

Once a year or more
15%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
12%

Every day
12%

Outdoors

Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions

Never
68%

Once a year or more
13%

Once a month or more
8%

Once a week or more
8%

Every day
4%

Outdoors – Under Cover

Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)

Never
94%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
1%

Once a week or more
4%

Every day
0%

How to become one

Difficulty to become one

Easy
You may need some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience. Most careers in this difficulty category usually don’t require a degree. However, you will need a few months of on-the-job training with experienced employees. Similar careers include Customer Service Representatives, Security Guards, and Bank Tellers.

Required level of education

What level of education do you need to perform the job?

Less than a High School Diploma
29%

High School Diploma or equivalent
61%

Post-Secondary Certificate
0%

Some College Courses
11%

Associate’s Degree or similar
0%

Bachelor’s Degree
0%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
0%

Master’s Degree
0%

Post-Master’s Certificate
0%

First Professional Degree
0%

Doctoral Degree
0%

Post-Doctoral Training
0%

Relevant majors

Meat Cutting

A program that prepares individuals to receive, cut, and package animal meat products in commercial establishments and to function as licensed meat cutters/butchers. Includes instruction in product recognition for beef, veal, lamb, pork, poultry, and fancy and smoked meats; retail and wholesale cutting and specialty cuts; packaging and counter display; shop safety; meat sanitation, storage and rotation; quality control; meat handling laws and regulations; and customer service.

Relevant work experience

How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?

None
34%

1 month
12%

1 to 3 months
4%

3 to 6 months
0%

6 months to 1 year
10%

1 to 2 years
21%

2 to 4 years
19%

4 to 6 years
0%

6 to 8 years
0%

8 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

On The Job Training

How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?

None or short demonstration
7%

1 month
25%

1 to 3 months
13%

3 to 6 months
0%

6 months to 1 year
12%

1 to 2 years
22%

2 to 4 years
21%

4 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Builder

People with this personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

The Builder
100%

People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


The Thinker
29%

People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.


The Artist
24%

People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.


The Helper
14%

People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.


The Leader
38%

People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.


The Organizer
71%

People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.


You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tend to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.

Work Values

Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?

Achievement
24%

You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Working Conditions
21%

You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.

Recognition
19%

You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.

Relationships
62%

You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support
62%

You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.

Independence
29%

You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.

FAQ


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