A deboning apparatus (10) is designed to debone chicken thighs. A clamping arm (58) terminates in a stirrup formation (64) for receiving a hip joint (74) of the thigh (72). An overhead retaining plate (68) is pivotable between a raised releasing position and a lowered retaining position in which it clamps the hip joint in position. A pair of reciprocating stripping plates (46 and 52) terminating in notched blades (48 and 54) are movable between a retracted position and an extended position in which they snugly encircle the femur of the chicken thigh. The stripping blades are pneumatically operated via a first pair of pneumatic actuators, and a second pair of pneumatic actuators are used to drive the extended stripping blades downwards so as to cause the meat to be stripped from the thigh bone. The entire deboning apparatus is controlled by means of a pneumatic controller employing pneumatic logic via a plurality of pneumatic control valves and switches.
