La grosse journée de l’abattage
Warning : This is not for the faint-hearted
highlights: Last day on the farm; Watched the slaughter; Watched the de-feathering of the carcass; Watched the carcass being flamed; Watched the skillful removal of the precious foie gras; I cut the wings and legs off the carcasses; I hung them up by the necks; I was scared shitless; I faced my fears.
FR EN
C’était mon dernier jour dans la ferme, mais il me restait assez de temps pour participer pendant le matin. L’abattage a commencé à 08h00, mais je suis arrivé à la salle de l’abattage à 08h30. Je me suis habillé en tenue correcte : un blouson, un tablier, des bottes, une résille, et une masque.
It was my last day on the farm, but there was still time to participate in the morning. The slaughter began at 08 :00, but I arrived at the abattoir at 08 :30. I dressed in the appropriate attire : a long shirt, an apron, boots, a hairnet and mask.
Au debut, je n’avais pas envie de vraiment participer, juste regarder. J’ai regardé Chantal qui a assommé les canards, et ensuite elle les a abattus en mettant un couteau à travers le cou. Je crois que c’est un manière humaine d’assommer les animaux avant qu’on les tue, on respecte les animaux, ils nous ont donnés leur vies pour qu’on puisse manger.
At first, I didn’t was to really participate, just wanted to watch. I watched Chantal put the birds to sleep and then put a knife through the neck to bleed them. I think its best that the animals are stunned before they are killed, we should respect the animal, they gave their lives so that we could eat them.
Après l’abattage, il fallait déplumer. En mettant les canards dans l’eau boullante, les plumes sont plus facile d’enlever. Il y avait une machine pour déplumer les plus grandes plumes, et on accrochait le carcasse sur un crochet. Il y avait quelques personnes qui vérifient la peau des canards s’ils avaient des petites plumes qui restent.
After the slaughter, we needed to de-feather. Putting the birds in boiling water makes it easier for the feathers to come out of the skin. There was even a machine that was used to remove the much larger feathers, we then hung them up on hooks. There were several people who checked the skin for tiny feathers which they would remove by hand.
Ensuite, toujours sur les crochets, les canards sont enflammés afin de brûler le duvet qui reste.
Next, still on the hooks, the birds were flamed with a flamethrower to burn away any fluffy bits that were left.
La dernière étape était de faire une incision pour sortir la foie. Les organes non désirées sont étripées du canard et plus tard sont jetées dans la poubelle.
The final step was to make an incision in the belly of the bird to take out the liver. The unwanted organs were removed and later thrown away.
J’ai fait les touches finales – j’ai coupé les ailes et les jambes. Au début, j’avais peur de toucher le canard mort. Le cou était souple, le corps doux, et il y avait du sang partout. Mais, j’ai confronté mes terreurs, regardez au-dessous !
I made the final touches – I cut the wings and the legs off. At first, I was scared to even touch the Dead thing. The neck was still floppy, the body soft and there was blood everywhere. But I confronted my fears, check it out below !
I made the final touches – I cut the wings and the legs off. At first, I was scared to even touch the Dead thing. The neck was still floppy, the body soft and there was blood everywhere. But I confronted my fears, check it out below !
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