The electric stunning of pigs for slaughter

Electrical stunning is the most common stunning method in the FRG. Beside manual stunning with tongs (70-250 V) there are also automatic high-voltage stunning devices (400-1000 V) in use. In the FRG the maximally allowed stunning voltage is 250 V for manual working apparatus. Electrical stunning is acceptable from the animal point of view, if a minimal current of 1.2 ampere is reached, immediately after the beginning of the stunning operation. This current provokes an epileptic insult combined with unconsciousness. Immobilisation combined with stiffness can be reached with lower currents. The current, flowing during stunning operation, depends on both stunning voltage and resistance between electrodes and surface of the animal. Current curves were recorded during manual stunning operations with different kinds of tong and different voltages. It was found, that a stunning voltage lower than 250 V under practise conditions is not acceptable from the animal point of view, because 1.2 ampere were not reached within 1 second. Electrical stunning with 250 V is acceptable, when an exact positioning of the tongs is possible because of a short fixation of the pig. The following demands can be formulated for an effective electrical stunning of pigs: 1. pigs should be wet prior to stunning. 2. positioning of the tongs must be done in such a way that the brain lies on the shortest line between the two electrodes. 3. between electrodes and pig surface should be an intensive contact. 4. stunning voltage should be at least 250 V, better higher. 5. bleeding should be done not later than 20 seconds after the end of the stunning, the time between bleeding and scalding being at least 3 minutes.     

Animal welfare aspects of animal slaughter

For many years animal welfare aspects of slaughtering were not discussed. But in the last ten years the research has much increased in this field. The new knowledges will be taken in account in national and european legislation. The question if ritual slaughtering without pre-slaughter stunning has to be allowed, was answered by the amendment of the Animal Welfare Act: This form of slaughtering is now only allowed in the context of constitutional guaranteed religious liberty.     

Behavioural responses of poultry during kosher slaughter and their implications for the birds' welfare

Measurements were made during Shechita (kosher) slaughter of 692 meat chickens, including the behaviour of the birds during the procedure and the times from their removal from the crate, to neck cutting, bleed-out and shackling. Four of 100 birds showed a mild physical response to neck cutting but the others showed no response. Approximately 60 per cent of the birds showed a physical response to touching the eye or eyelid at up to 5 seconds after neck cutting, but by 15 seconds none showed this response. The birds became unable to retain their posture and suffered involuntary muscular contractions at 12 to 15 seconds after neck cutting and had lost approximately 40 per cent of their total blood volume by 30 seconds after neck cutting.     

Animal welfare relevant issues during the killing of poultry during epidemics

In this article firstly the standards of the killing methods of poultry because of animal diseases and the parameter for the choice of a method are described. The following part deals with the effects of the different killing methods. Finally the most important control points during the killing of poultry are discussed.     

Physiologic reactions during the slaughter of cattle and sheep with and without stunning

In a first trial the cortical activity of cattle and sheep was tested using only an electrocorticogram (ECoG). The results showed a shorter phase after sticking or the ritual slaughter cut respectively, until the ECoG disappears in stunned animals. However, considering the time between stunning and the cervical state, the interval until disappearance of the ECoG was prolonged in the stunned animals. The observed time differences, however, are only a tendency and not statistically confirmed. Insofar, concerning animal protection, the different slaughter methods could be regarded equivalent. A second trial was designed in a manner to allow a more exact interpretation of the ECoGs and was completed by measuring visually and somatosensorically evoked potentials. Additionally, in contrast to the first trial, only adult cattle were used here. The results revealed shorter intervals until disappearance of cortical activities when using captive-bolt stunning. Also the variance was much lower in this trial than after ritual slaughter. The mean of the time differences was relatively low (5.5 seconds). It was especially remarkable that after captivebolt stunning absolutely no evoked potentials could be registrated, whereas these potentials lasted for 77 seconds (somatosensorically evoked potentials) and 55 seconds respectively (visually evoked potentials) after the ritual slaughter cut. Thus, after ritual slaughter a nervous conduction was measured up to 126 seconds in the extreme cases. However, from the results obtained it can not be concluded whether or not pain sensitivity occurred in the animals.     

Animal welfare and disease control regulations for killing cattle, swine and sheep with the help of a transportable electric stunning facility (SCHERMER, type EC)

Stamping-out of animals in case of infections diseases has to meet the requirements resulting from animal welfare, disease prevention, and practicability under conditions in practice. This is well qualified by application of electrical shock stunning with subsequent generation of ventricular fibrillation in cattle, swine and sheep. The scientific elements of the method, the procedure, and experiences in application of the method during the stamping-out of 340 cattle, 980 swine, 152 sheep and 18 goats are discussed in the paper.     

Cortical function in cattle during slaughter: conventional captive bolt stunning followed by exsanguination compared with shechita slaughter

Brain function was examined in adult cattle after conventional captive bolt stunning or shechita slaughter, using eight animals in each treatment. The times to loss of evoked responses (visual and somatosensory) and spontaneous activity in the electro-corticogram were used to determine the onset of brain failure. Captive bolt stunning followed by sticking one minute later resulted in immediate and irreversible loss of evoked responses after the stun. Spontaneous cortical activity was lost before sticking in three animals, and in an average of 10 seconds after sticking in the remaining five animals. The duration of brain function after shechita was very variable, and particularly contrasted with captive bolt stunning with respect to the effects on evoked responses. These were lost between 20 and 126 seconds (means of 77 seconds for somatosensory and 55 seconds for visual evoked responses) and spontaneous activity was lost between 19 and 113 seconds (mean 75 seconds) after slaughter.     

Influence of crate height during slaughter transport on the welfare of male turkeys

1. Poultry are usually transported in crates which provide the birds with very limited space. Slaughter transport of male turkeys is often carried out using crates that are 40?cm or less in height where it is not possible for them to stand up. There is little information on how this physical restriction over many hours affects the birds.

2. The aim of the study was to compare the welfare of male turkeys transported in crates 40?cm and 55?cm in height. Observations on the birds’ behaviour during lairage, carcass damage and meat quality were carried out after four commercial slaughter transport journeys.

3. Birds in 40?cm crates panted more and lay down more than birds in 55?cm crates during lairage. A large percentage of the carcasses had some damage. Significantly more birds from the 55?cm crates had scratches on their backs than birds from the 40?cm crates. There was no significant difference in meat quality between birds transported in the two crate heights.

4. Both positive and negative effects of increased crate height were established and there is no evidence from this study that merely increasing crate height improves turkey welfare. Other solutions should therefore be sought in order to improve the welfare of birds during transport.     

Animal protection during transport in Hungary

To assess animal welfare during transport in Hungary, a questionnaire study was carried out in 1998. The questionnaire consisted of 39 questions addressing some general characteristics as well as specific ones regarding means of transport, fulfillment of the animals' needs on board and others. Three-hundred and ninety-one questionnaires were analysed representing about 0.1% of all yearly transports in Hungary. The most significant problems encountered were with conditions of transport that are more relevant for longer transports, especially those exceeding eight hours. Such are, inter alia, weather protection, ventilation, means to tie or separate animals and the provision of food and water. Even though there are several different types of vehicle available for transporting animals in Hungary, vehicles that are not appropriate for the species, distance or other conditions of the transport are sometimes used. Our results apply to the preparatory phase before the introduction of new, EU conform legislation on the protection of animals during transport. They enable more specific investigations or corrective measures to be undertaken by the competent authority responsible for the enforcement of such regulations in Hungary.