JPS6227771B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for anesthetizing meat livestock such as pigs and cows as a pre-slaughter treatment.

In recent years, demand for meat in Japan has been on the rise as dietary habits become more diverse and more sophisticated. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the amount of meat produced to meet the demand, and slaughterhouses are required to increase their processing capacity. At the same time, even higher standards (regulations) are being applied to improving the quality of meat and maintaining hygiene, and improvements in processing equipment and slaughtering techniques at slaughterhouses are desired in this respect as well.

Previously, livestock at slaughterhouses were slaughtered by electric shocks or blows after the animals were transported by truck or the like and left overnight in an attached pasture. In addition, when unloading livestock from a truck, a board is passed between the truck bed and the ground, and the livestock is driven onto it.
Because livestock are afraid of downhill slopes, it takes a considerable amount of effort, time, and effort to lower them. The reason why livestock are allowed to graze all day and night is that if the livestock is transported and is in an excited state and then slaughtered as it is, fillet will occur.

In recent years, electric shock has been increasingly used to slaughter livestock because if done poorly, the slaughter of livestock can result in severe damage to vital parts. Slaughtering using an electric shock is carried out by forcing a large number of livestock into a predetermined location, or by forcing them one by one into a narrow space. When killing animals, there is a risk that workers may be attacked by the animals or injured by electrocution tools or knives because they cannot move freely, and in the latter case, the animals do not like moving one by one. It had drawbacks such as being extremely inefficient and requiring appropriate equipment. In addition, the method of paralyzing livestock using electric shocks and the method of disposing of the same have been criticized as being undesirable from an animal welfare perspective, and there are also problems in terms of securing labor.

Therefore, a method is currently being adopted in which CO ₂ gas is used to anesthetize livestock and then stab it to death, and several devices are being provided. However, all of these devices drive livestock one by one into gas chambers installed at predetermined locations, which is extremely inefficient and requires a lot of effort and time as livestock dislike moving alone. He was stiff.

The present invention was made in view of the above-mentioned current situation in livestock slaughter, and its purpose is to constantly move livestock as a group during the slaughter process using anesthetic gas, including unloading from trucks, etc. The object of the present invention is to provide a device that can improve processing capacity and ensure work safety. The configuration according to the present invention for achieving this purpose includes a gas chamber with an open top, a gas supply device for supplying anesthetic gas into the gas chamber, and a gas chamber that is movable between the bottom of the gas chamber and the upper part of the outside of the gas chamber. It is characterized by comprising a table for loading livestock that can be stopped at an appropriate position.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the gas anesthesia device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of the apparatus of the embodiment, FIG. 2 shows a plan view, and FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal section in a different direction.

The gas chamber 1 is defined by a box 2 having an open top. This box body 2 is made of reinforced concrete or steel plate, etc., and is made of anesthetic gas (CO ₂
Sufficient consideration has been given to its airtightness to prevent gas from leaking to the outside. In this embodiment, the box 2 is buried underground so that its upper end is flush with the ground. 3 is a frame plate provided at the upper end of the box body 2;
It has a border around the top.

The table 4 on which livestock is placed and moved from the inner bottom of the gas chamber 1 to the upper part of the outside of the gas chamber 1 is made of steel, and its floor 5 has a grid structure.
Roller units 6 are attached to both sides of the table 4, and the pair of rollers 7 are attached to the table 4.
gas chamber 1 from the bottom surface 1a of gas chamber 1 on both sides of
Lifting rails 8 erected outward and upward are sandwiched between them, and double-row chains of elevators 9 installed above the lifting rails 8 are connected to both sides of the table 4 . Therefore, the table 4 is moved up and down by the operation of the elevator 9. The elevator 9 is operated by a control panel that also serves as an operation panel depending on the size of the object to be slaughtered and the purpose of the work of the table 4.
Further, an enclosure fence 10 is provided on the table 4 along the edge of the table 4, and an opening/closing door 11 for access is attached to a part of the fence 10. An outer fence door 12 is provided on the frame plate 3 at a position corresponding to the opening/closing door 11. On the other hand, a safety device 13 for stopping the table 4 is installed on the box body 2 side. This device is designed such that the outer fence door 12 opens only when the safety device 13 is engaged with the table 4, and the outer fence door 12 is closed and the safety device 1
A control mechanism is incorporated so that the elevator 9 will not operate unless 3 is released. Incidentally, the opening/closing door 11 may be provided at two locations on the enclosure fence 10 so that livestock can enter and exit at different locations.

Inside the gas chamber 1, a CO ₂ gas blow-off pipe 14 is arranged along the wall surface, one end 14a of which opens at the bottom of the gas chamber 1, and the other end 14b opens at the top of the gas chamber 1. There is. This CO ₂ gas blowout pipe 14
There is a CO ₂ gas supply pipe 1 connected to a CO ₂ cylinder 15.
6 is connected. A blower 17 is provided in the middle of the CO ₂ gas blow-off pipe 14 to circulate the CO ₂ gas in the gas chamber 1 from the bottom to the top. Further, 18 is a solenoid valve provided in the CO ₂ gas supply pipe 16, which is operated in response to a command from the controller 20 based on the measured value of the gas concentration measuring device 19 provided in the CO ₂ gas blow-off pipe 14. There is. In other words,
When the concentration of CO ₂ gas circulated through the CO ₂ gas blow-off pipe 14 decreases, the solenoid valve 18 is opened by the controller 20, and the CO ₂ gas liquefied and sent from the CO ₂ cylinder 15 is released as required. This amount is injected into the CO ₂ gas blow-off pipe 14. A gas bypass 21 is formed on the side of the gas chamber 1 to separate it from the gas chamber 1, and the upper part of the gas bypass 21 is connected to the gas chamber 1 through a galley 22.
It is connected to the top.

The bottom surface 1a of the gas chamber 1 is inclined, and a drain pit 23 is formed at the deepest part thereof, and a drain pump 24 is installed therein. These are for collecting the blood discharged when animals are exsanguinated on the table 4 and discharging it to the next process.

When the box 2 is buried under the ground surface as in this embodiment, the gas chamber 2 is buried when the device is not in use to prevent danger.
It is preferable to provide an opening/closing lid 25 to cover the area.

Next, the operation of this device will be described.

To lower livestock transported by a truck or the like to the ground for grazing, the table 4 is raised to the height of the loading platform of the truck 26 and stopped, and the rear of the truck 26 is placed on the table 4 as shown in FIG. approach, open the door 11, place a spanboard between the table 4 and the loading platform of the truck 26, drive the group of livestock on the truck 26 onto the table 4, close the door 11, and move the table 4 to the ground position. It descends, stops at that position, opens the opening/closing door 11, and drives out the group of livestock on the table 4 to the ground. Livestock can be unloaded by simply moving the herd across a flat area.

To anesthetize livestock that has been left overnight, the table 4 is stopped on the ground, the livestock is driven onto the table 4, and then the table 4 is lowered to the bottom of the gas chamber 1. At this time, the gas chamber 1 is already filled with the adjusted amount of CO ₂ gas. table 4
During the descent, CO ₂ gas leaks from between the grids on the floor 5 of the table 4 to the top, so the CO ₂ gas is not compressed into the gas chamber 1, and even if it were to be compressed, the CO ₂ gas flows into the gas chamber 1 again through the gas bypass 21 and the galley 22.

The table 4 is stopped at the bottom of the gas chamber 1 for a predetermined period of time, and the livestock is exposed to CO ₂ gas to be put into an anesthetized state.
After that, the table 4 is raised to the ground position. At this ground position, a worker is placed on the table 4, and the table 4 is further raised and stopped. When the worker gets on the table 4, the safety of the worker is ensured by the presence of the safety device 13 that restricts the movement of the table 4. A transport conveyor is installed above the table 4 in its raised position, and an operator hangs the livestock in an anesthetized state (fainted state) onto the transport conveyor and transports it to the next process. Incidentally, the anesthetized livestock may be exsanguinated on the table 4, and the blood discharged in that case falls through the gap in the grid on the floor 5 of the table 4 to the bottom surface 1a of the gas chamber 1.
As described above, the liquid is discharged to the next process by the drain pump 24 through the drain pit 23.

In the above operations, the table 4 is stopped at a predetermined position by a limit switch or the like.

Furthermore, if high-pressure cleaning equipment is attached to this device, the table 4, the side plate of the gas bypass 21, the side and bottom surface 1a of the gas chamber 1, etc. can be easily cleaned with high-pressure jet water every time the work is completed, making it extremely hygienic. becomes.

As mentioned above, according to the gas anesthesia device according to the present invention, livestock to be slaughtered can be constantly moved in groups and brought into an anesthetized state before slaughter, so processing capacity is greatly improved and safety is also dramatically improved. Progress can be made and the burden on workers is reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the gas anesthesia device for livestock according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a different direction. In the drawing, 1 is a gas chamber, 4 is a table, 6 is a roller unit, 7 is a roller, 8 is a lifting rail, 9 is an elevator, 14 is a CO ₂ gas blowing pipe, 15 is a CO ₂ cylinder, and 16 is a CO ₂ gas supply. The tube 17 is a blower.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A gas chamber with an open top, a gas supply device for supplying anesthetic gas into the gas chamber, and a table for loading livestock that is movable between the bottom of the gas chamber and the upper part of the outside of the gas chamber and can be stopped at an appropriate position. A gas anesthesia device for livestock, characterized by comprising: