Today we visited Arena & Sons Slaughterhouse in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and were graciously hosted by Joanne Arena, her nephew, Frank Arena, and her sister Marie Arena.
Frank showed us all of the different knives that he uses during the slaughter process and described all of the steps very clearly. He was very knowledgeable about humane slaughter and how to keep the animals calm. Joanne explained the USDA stamps on the carcasses in the cooler.
Frank and Joanne showed us the hoists that are used to lift the animals up onto the bleed rail. For a small facility, the kill floor is quite large and well-equipped with all of the necessary tools and machinery.