Develop a "portable" center track restrainer /conveyor to be used in animal health emergencies where depopulation procedures may be necessary

The center-track restrainer/conveyor is one of the most widely used systems in the P acking industry for delivery of cattle to the stunner. Cattle enter the chute and stunning area straddling their legs on each side of a leg spreader bar that leads them to a cleated non-slip entrance ramp that slopes downward at a 15 to 25-degree angle toward a solid false floor. Approximately ½ to ¾ of the way down the cleated non-slip ramp the animal becomes suspended above the cleated ramp as its brisket and belly contact the rails of the center track restrainer/conveyor. With all four legs now suspended the animal is drawn forward toward the stunner by the conveyor. A solid hold down rack hides the view of the person operating the captive bolt. Just as the animal begins to clear the hold down rack, IT is stunned with the penetrating captive bolt. In a packing plant, the stunned animal continues forward until IT is dropped onto a "take away conveyor" where the unconscious animal is shackled and delivered to the carcass bleeding rail. In the case of depopulation, the take away conveyor will deliver deceased animals to the bed of a rendering truck or other conveyance for removal. Our specific objectives will be to 1) design and build a portable version of the center track restrainer/conveyor, 2) evaluate its functionality, and 3) develop educational materials on its use and depopulation strategies in the event of an animal health emergency. The beneficiaries of this work include consumers, cattlemen and the cattle industry of the united states. This work will also benefit those in USDA aphis who are entrusted with the responsibility for protection of the nation's food supply and its livestock industries.