What is a rendering plant?

Question

I heard that it recycles dead animals into fertilizer for farmers, can this be true?

Answer 1

A "Rendering Plant" is a a business that makes use of all the "unwanted" parts of dead animals. They make soap (in the past), suet, fertilizer (I actually haven't heard this, but it makes sense), pet food. (Ever read "meat by-products" on a pet food label? Translation - all the odd bits that go to rendering plants) ...whatever can be made from the animals they use.

Different rendering plants may focus on different products. The industry goes through 12.5 million tons of animals each year.

More info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendering_(food_processing)

Answer 2

This is just a large scale of what our ancestors did before. They used the hide for leather, the fat for tallow or soap, the organs (they ate most, the intestines for sausage casings, etc), they ground the bone for fertilizer, used the blood for any number of things.

Dead animals, that is those that die before the slaughter house, even if they drop dead of natural causes walking into the slaughter house, can not be used for food. They can be used at the rendering facility.

Answer 3

It's a building where the carcasses of animals are ground into bone meal fertilizer and feed for animals.

Regulations are presently in force to prevent certain types of animal parts from entering the fertilizer-feed process. This helps prevent the spread of "mad-cow disease".

Answer 4

A rendering plant is what you think it is. They take dead farm animals, left overs from poultry and meat packing plants,etc, boil them down, dry, and pulverize into protein powder which is added to pet foods, protein shakes, stuff like that. If you have a chance, go visit one (if you have a strong stomach), very interesting.

Answer 5

no no no a rendering plant uses dead animals parts like cows, horses, chicken, etc to make dog and cat food.