Slaughterer
Also known as: slaughter worker, animal slaughterer, animal slaughterhouse worker
About this occupation
Slaughterers slaughter animals and process carcasses for further processing and distribution.
Essential skills and knowledge
- stun animals
- handle meat processing equipment in cooling rooms
- split animal carcasses
- documentation concerning meat production
- slaughter animals
- operate slaughterhouse equipment
- animal anatomy for food production
- clean carcasses
- suspend animals
- tend meat processing production machines
- apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
- control animals in distress
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Slaughterers and Meat Packers (O*NET 51-3023.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- Remove bones, and cut meat into standard cuts in preparation for marketing.
- Sever jugular veins to drain blood and facilitate slaughtering.
- Tend assembly lines, performing a few of the many cuts needed to process a carcass.
- Shackle hind legs of animals to raise them for slaughtering or skinning.
- Slit open, eviscerate, and trim carcasses of slaughtered animals.
- Stun animals prior to slaughtering.
- Typical education (US)
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Realistic, Conventional, Investigative
Top skills: Speaking, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring
US median pay: US$40,130 a year (2025), 69,950 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Subjects this work relies on
How important each subject's knowledge is in the job itself, rated by people doing it (1 to 5).
- Agriculture or Foods and NutritionO*NET: Food ProductionImportant (3.4)
- English or Literature in EnglishO*NET: English LanguageImportant (3.1)
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Most common education (US)
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Related occupations
Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
- Meat, Poultry, and Fish Cutters and Trimmers
- Butchers and Meat Cutters
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products
- Food Preparation Workers
- Animal Breeders
- Packers and Packagers, Hand
- Cooks, Restaurant
- Food and Tobacco Roasting, Baking, and Drying Machine Operators and Tenders
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.