Sausage processing apparatus

A sausage processing apparatus, comprising a circulating first transport device in the form of a compartmented belt, wherein a sausage can be received in each compartment, a downstream compartmented roller, wherein in each case one sausage can be transferred from a compartment of the first transport device into a compartment of the compartmented roller, and a second circulating transport device, onto which the sausages can be transferred from the compartments of the compartmented roller, a control device which controls the conveying operation of the second transport device and of the compartmented roller, and a sensor device for detecting the occupancy of the compartments of the first transport device, wherein the control device is configured to control the conveying operation of the compartmented roller and of the second transport device in a manner dependent on the detection result of the sensor device such that, upon detection of one or more successive unoccupied compartments of the first transport device, the conveying operation of the compartmented roller and of the second transport device is stopped or slowed when the unoccupied compartment is situated in or is entering a transfer position and, upon detection of an occupied compartment, said conveying operation is resumed when the occupied compartment is situated in or is entering the transfer position.