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Abstract

An apparatus and method for removing the spinal cord from the animal carcass during processing prior to splitting the carcass. One embodiment of the apparatus includes a catheter tube, which comprises a flexible vacuum casing having a flexible rotating shaft captured therein where a cutting bit member is attached to the tip end of the rotating shaft for breaking down the spinal tissue such that a vacuum can be applied to the catheter to aspirate the spinal cord tissue. The catheter tube can be fed down the spinal channel prior to the carcass being split and as the catheter is being inserted the cutting tip is rotated to break down the spinal tissue and a vacuum is applied to aspirate the broken down tissue. Another embodiment of the apparatus for the concept of removing the spinal cord prior to splitting the carcass comprises a semi-flexible pull line or pull chain/ curly spring. The pull line comprises a stiff long non rotating small diameter spring with a cutting head and connected thereto is a trailing long chain with differing diameter springed cutting edges. The leading edge of the long spring section of the tool is attached to a worm feed line. The method is to feed the worm feed line into the smaller diameter end of the spinal channel and as the worm feed line extends and protrudes out the neck end of the channel the line is grasped and the spring and chain sections are pulled through the channel.

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