AUTOMATIC ANIMAL PROCESSING

An apparatus for automatically processing an animal carcass. Suspension means suspends the carcass in an inverted position with the spine inclined upwardly towards the neck with the spine located beneath the carcass and so that the diaphragm is approximately vertical. A cutting assembly moves into the abdominal cavity adjacent to the diaphragm, and a cutting means cuts the diaphragm around the periphery. A brisket shearing means cuts the brisket with a shearing action along the brisket from the abdomen and towards the neck end of the brisket. The reaction member is pivotally movable relative to the brisket about a rear end to generally follow the contours of the brisket. Head holding means locates and clamps the head against movement, and stretching means stretches the neck of the carcass so as to spread the atlas joint, and a cutting blade moves along the line of the jaw and through the atlas joint so as to sever the head. Splitting support means is movable lengthwise along the carcass, an opposed pair of rolling or sliding spine tracking means carried by the splitting support means straddles, locates and restrains the spine against lateral movement while cutting means splits the carcass at the tracking means.