How to become a Meat Boner and Slicer

Trims and cuts meat from bones, sides and carcasses.

Main tasks

• Receives and inspects carcasses of slaughtered livestock for bruises, blood clots and other matter to remove
• Operates controls to direct and drop carcasses from supply rails to boning tables
• Cuts and separates meat, fat and tissue from bones, and washes, scrapes and trims fat, gristle and other unwanted matter from meat
• Operates and maintains meat cutting and slicing equipment to cut sides and quarters of meat into standard meat cuts
• Removes internal fat, blood clots and bruises to prepare cuts of meat for further processing or packing
• Cleans and sanitises work area and equipment, and follows safety and hygiene regulations while handling meat
• Collaborates with other meat processing workers to ensure efficient workflow
• Assists in receiving and storing meat products

Ways in

• TAFE and VET: Certificate III in Meat Processing (Boning Room) (AMP30116); Certificate III in Meat Processing (Food Services) (AMP30216)

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Typical full-time pay: $84,604 a year
• About 5,600 people work in this job group now, and about 5,400 are projected by 2035. (-3.4%)
• AI is more likely to help with parts of this job than to do it. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as low.

Related jobs

• Slaughterer
• Baking Factory Worker
• Brewery Worker
• Coffee Roaster
• Confectionery Maker
• Dairy Products Factory Worker

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Meat Boner and Slicer?

Ways in include: Certificate III in Meat Processing (Boning Room); Certificate III in Meat Processing (Food Services).

How much does a Meat Boner and Slicer earn in Australia?

Median full-time pay is $84,604 a year (Jobs and Skills Australia).

Is a Meat Boner and Slicer a growing career in Australia?

Employment is projected to fall 3% by 2035, from about 5,600 to about 5,400 people (Jobs and Skills Australia).

Do you need a degree to become a Meat Boner and Slicer?

Usually not. Only 7% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Certificate III in Meat Processing (Boning Room); Certificate III in Meat Processing (Food Services).

Will AI change the work of a Meat Boner and Slicer?

AI is more likely to help with parts of this job than to do it. Jobs and Skills Australia rates its automation exposure as low.

Sources

• Jobs and Skills Australia: Occupation data (ANZSCO), from ABS Labour Force and Census (February 2026), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
• Jobs and Skills Australia: Generative AI Capacity Study, interactive table data (September 2025), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
• Jobs and Skills Australia: Employment Projections (Victoria University) (May 2025 to May 2035), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-04
• Australian Taxation Office: Taxation Statistics, Individuals Table 15A (2023-24), CC BY 2.5 AU, retrieved 2026-10-04

Updated 2026-10-04