Cargill to install CAS system at chicken processing plant in Canada

Cargill Protein is planning to install a controlled atmospheric stunning (CAS) system at its chicken processing facility in London, Ontario.

Cargill aims to have the new CAS system operational later this year, replacing the existing electric stunning equipment installed at the facility.

An investment of C$22m ($17m) is reportedly part of the company’s efforts to address continuous improvement in the humane slaughter of animals for food, based on growing customer interest in the matter.

Cargill London plant general manager Claudecir Pagnussatto said: “As we grow our business to meet consumer and customer demand for wholesome, nutritious, affordable animal protein, we continuously explore enhancements that position us as an industry leader in both animal welfare and protein production.

“Our new CAS system will help reduce handling stress with chickens, resulting in a higher-quality, more consistent product.”

Despite both electric and CAS stunning systems being acceptable for humane poultry harvesting, Cargill has chosen to install CAS in order to meet the growing number of consumers and customers, who expressed the need for the system at poultry facilities.

Cargill London poultry welfare global head Dr Stephanie Cottee said: “Cargill is committed to ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare are maintained and believes all food animals deserve respect and dignity prior to harvesting. We have led the way in many areas of animal welfare.

“We were the first to install third-party remote video auditing at our harvest plants to ensure our animal welfare programme is properly implemented.

“For the past two years, we have been named to the second highest international company ranking tier by the UK-based Business Benchmark for Farm Animal Welfare. We are dedicated to animal welfare because it’s the right thing to do.”

Established in 1987, Cargill London’s chicken processing facility manufactures a wide range of products and distributes them to its customers throughout Canada. Currently, the facility has a workforce of more than 830 people.