[Sca-cooks] SCA Slaughtering

[Mike Newton]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Diamond Randall" <ringofkings at mindspring.com>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 24, 2002 3:00 PM
Subject: [Sca-cooks] SCA Slaughtering


Is the realism of slaughter and
> processing (and
> a lot more neatly done  than real mundane processing practices) just too
much
> to
> expect to be acceptable, no matter how period the practice?

Hi, I'm going to be a boor here, but how do you consider period slaughter
more neatly done than real mundane slaughter practices? or are you simply
talking about processing?

There is a sound reason why the USDA does not allow cattle/pigs/sheep to be
knocked in the head by an axe or sledgehammer any more. You tend to panic
the creature, causing the meat to be tainted by adrenalin or injury, and
thereby lowering the quality. You also have a higher risk of injury to the
man killing the beast, and to the equipment. (Although the box which the
cattle are run into to be slaughtered is still called the knocking box :) )

Unless you're killing with the kosher method, that is to slice the throat
with a single swipe of the knife, which is/was acceptable.

Or are you talking about shooting them in the head humanely? This is
acceptable USDA practice (although you cannot save the head meat due to bone
and metal fragements.) However, I have never come across any period
documents about shooting livestock with firearms -not that there are none
out there - just that I've never seen or heard of any. If you do have info
concerning period slaughter, I would love to read it. Seriously.

For the record, the other methods the USDA allows plants to use are CO2
anesthesia before sticking (not often used because it's trickier since you
can't kill the animals just knock them unconscious), a captive bolt which
works the same way as a bullet does, only you don't have to worry about a
stray bullet going where it doesn't belong.

For smaller animals, electricity can be used to cause unconsciousness but
cows are too big for it to work properly.

For your main point, I have found when explaining what I do in real life to
people, either in or outside the SCA, they either become extremely
interested, or immediatly turn green around the gills. I imagine you'll have
the same response. So far (except this list) I've hit about a 60
interested/40 greened gill average in the SCA.

The only verbal response I've ever heard against slaughter at an event was
some of the vegetarians were irritated at listening to the goats bleat
overnight, knowing that it was to be supper the next day. They did couch it
as "it might be upsetting to the children" if that's any help.

Beatrix of Tanet

also Inspector Newton, USDA FSIS




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