This report summarizes improvements in handling and stunning of beef cattle. As stated on the McDonald's webpage, McDonald's Corporation continues to implement animal welfare programs. The summaries in this report compare data on compliance to the guidelines of the American Meat Institute.
All plants are in the United States.
The data clearly show that the audit program conducted by McDonalds has resulted in a greater percentage of slaughter plants which are now in compliance with the guidelines. The percentage of plants which passed the stunning audit has doubled in 1999 when compared to 1996. All cattle must be completely insensible and unconscious on the bleed rail for a plant to pass. Percentage of Plants which Passed their First Stunning Audit. The major cause of poor stunning was a lack of stun gun maintenance.