ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the welfare of many meat industry workers, a theme that is emerging more frequently in the news as well as the academy. It discusses how the immigration system relates to the meat industry before moving to some of the biggest problems facing these workers: human rights violations, poor working conditions, and even human trafficking and sexual abuse. Between cheese-steaks in Philadelphia, "full English breakfasts" in the United Kingdom, Po'boys in Louisiana, poutine in Montreal, barbeque in the southern U. S., and haggis in Scotland, we see an obvious trend emerge. The majority of slaughterhouse and meat processing workers in the U. S. are people of color living in low-income communities. Large-animal processing naturally involves lifting and moving heavy animals, animal parts, and equipment, due to the sheer size of the animals involved. The workdays in this industry are often very long and involve a lot of night shifts.
