AMI Foundation To Host First Animal Handling And Stunning Conference

The American Meat Institute Foundation (AMIF) will host its first stand-alone Animal Handling and Stunning Conference February 4-5, 1999, at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, MO.

The conference is a train-the-trainer session, designed to educate plant managers and others with supervisory responsibility for livestock handling and stunning about ways to improve plant practices in animal handling and stunning. These improvements can enhance welfare and improve efficiency, productivity and product quality. The course aims to equip attendees with the knowledge and expertise to in turn train line workers in these important principles.

Instructors for the course include three members of the Colorado State University Animal Sciences Department: Temple Grandin, Ph.D., a world-renowned expert on animal welfare; Gary Smith, Ph.D., a leading expert on the impact of animal handling and stunning on meat quality; and Glenn Schmidt, Ph.D., who has done extensive research on stunning.

The course will include an overview of good handling practices, practical, low-cost tips for eliminating problems in plants, a discussion of the cost-effectiveness of good handling, an update on stunning methods and instruction in how to perform self-audits in plants to ensure that animal handling and stunning objectives are met.

Isabel Arrington, DVM, slaughter staff officer at the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS)Technical Center in Omaha, NE, will offer an overview of regulatory requirements for handling and stunning and new FSIS training initiatives related to animal welfare. A panel of industry representatives also will discuss their own experience in implementing animal handling and stunning initiatives and maintaining a trained workforce.

Table-top exhibits will also be featured, including stunning equipment, non-slip flooring and other equipment and services related to handling and stunning.

In addition, every participant will receive a copy of two new, 20-minute AMI Foundation videos (one for cattle and one for hogs) that can be used in training line workers at plants who cannot attend the conference.

Registration for the course is $345 for AMI members, $295 when three or more members register together, and $445 for non-members. Hotel rooms are $115 per night and reservations can be made by calling 816/474-4400.

The AMI Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to research, education and information that benefit the meat and poultry industry. Originally created in 1944, the AMI Foundation today solicits grants from government, industry and other organizations to fund a broad range of food safety, worker safety, nutrition and consumer information projects.

AMI represents the interests of packers and processors of beef, pork, lamb, veal and turkey products and their suppliers throughout North America. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute provides legislative, regulatory and public relations services, conducts scientific and economic research, offers marketing and technical assistance and sponsors education programs.