The two states that slaughter the most pigs are Iowa and Oklahoma, which average about thirty-two thousands pigs a day.

         The large plants kill the pig by cutting the jugular, but the smaller plants kill the pigs more by hand.   To be a large slaughterhouse it has to house  and slaughter about 1,100 swine per day.  Smaller slaughterhouses have about  500 workers, and very small slaughterhouses have fewer than 500 workers.

        This leads us to our problem. When people at the slaughter house boil the pig to de-hair it, the temperature of the water in the scalding pot is not always consistent. If too hot, the water can create lesions in the skin, allowing microorganism to enter and contaminate the meat. Our solution is to put a thermometer in the water which is hooked to a feedback system that will automatically adjust the temperature so it is consistent. Also, replacing wood with propane as a fuel source for heat will be more cost effective and help the temperature stay consistent.