Patent ID: 6029610
Filing Date: 2000-02-29
Classification: A01K

Abstract:
Apparatus for washing animals prior to slaughter, wherein the animals are led one after the other into a race wide enough to accommodate one animal at a time, the presence of an animal is automatically detected at a point in the race and the animal is sprayed with a cleaning fluid to at least those areas where incisions will be made, and the cleaning fluid is left on the animal for a sufficient time prior to washing at a subsequent washing station so that effective removal of dirt is achieved by washing or rinsing off the cleaning fluid before the animal is slaughtered, the apparatus comprising a race having an entrance into which animals can be led, a passageway, and an exit, the passageway being wide enough to allow the passage of one animal at a time, the race having a plurality of spray nozzles directed inwards to spray an animal passing through the race, means for supplying a cleaning fluid under pressure to the spray nozzles and means for regulating the amount of cleaning fluid applied to each animal, the exit of the race leading to one or more holding pens, the holding pens being connectable to a wash station so that in use the animals are coated with the cleaning fluid and held in the holding pens for a predetermined time period prior to washing off the cleaning fluid at the washing station.