Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-31T16:00:23.610Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessment of unconsciousness during slaughter without stunning in lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

P Rodríguez ,
A Velarde ,
A Dalmau  and
P Llonch
P Rodríguez
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Subprogram, IRTA, Finca Camps i Armet s/n, E-17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
A Velarde*
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Subprogram, IRTA, Finca Camps i Armet s/n, E-17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
A Dalmau
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Subprogram, IRTA, Finca Camps i Armet s/n, E-17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
P Llonch
Affiliation:
Animal Welfare Subprogram, IRTA, Finca Camps i Armet s/n, E-17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The aim of this study was to assess brain activity in lambs during slaughter without stunning and its correlation with heart rate (HR) and the absence of physiological reflexes. The index of consciousness (IoC-view®) assesses consciousness by an algorithm that analyses the EEG and gives an index from 0 (unconscious) to 100 (conscious). Eight lambs (Merino breed) of 20 to 25 kg live weight were individually restrained in a stretcher and three skin electrodes were placed at the level of the frontal bone. The electrodes were connected to the IoC-view®. Two additional electrodes were placed on the chest and the HR was transferred to a watch monitor. Recording time started 2 min prior to sticking to attain the basal IoC and HR value of each animal. During bleeding, presence of corneal reflex and rhythmic breathing were recorded every 10 s until brain death. Rhythmic breathing disappeared at an average time of 44 (± 4.2) s after sticking, ranging between 30 and 60 s. The corneal reflex disappeared at 116 (± 11.01) s, ranging between 80 and 160 s after sticking. Changes in the brain activity occurred between 22 to 82 s after sticking (52 [± 20.2] s). In five out of six animals the HR increased (177 [± 22.7] beats min−1) compared to basal values (139 [± 8.4] beats min−1) at 115 (± 97.5) s after sticking. Both brain activity and physiological reflexes revealed that when bleeding is performed, through a transverse incision across the neck without stunning, the onset of unconsciousness could last 1 min which impaired animal welfare. This prolonged consciousness compared to other authors’ findings may be attributable to inefficient bleeding when lambs are slaughtered without head restraint.

Keywords

animal welfareconsciousnessEEGlambsneck stickingreligious slaughter
Type
Papers
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 21 , Issue S2: Proceedings of the HSA Centenary International Symposium ‘Recent Advances in the Welfare of Livestock at Slaughter’ Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth, UK, 2011 , June 2012 , pp. 75 - 80
Copyright
© 2012 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Anil, MH and McKinstry, JL 1991 Reflexes and loss of sensibility following head-to-back electrical stunning in sheep. The Veterinary Record 128: 106–107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.128.5.106CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anil, MH, Yesildere, T, Aksu, H, Matur, E, McKinstry, JL, Erdogan, O, Hughes, S and Mason, C 2004 Comparison of religious slaughter of sheep with methods that include pre-slaughter stunning, and the lack of differences in exsanguination, packed cell volume and meat quality parameters. Animal Welfare 13: 387–392CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blackmore, DK 1984 Differences in behaviour between sheep and cattle during slaughter. Research in Veterinary Science 37: 223–226CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cardenas, K 2008 Analysis of the udate delay over time for changes in the index of consciousness of the IoC-view® Monitor. Morpheus Medical. http://www.morpheus-medical.com/fileadmin/morpheus_files/ioc_view/update_delay_over_time.pdf. (Accessed 15 September 2011)Google Scholar
Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 2009 On the Protection of Animals at the Time of Killing. European Community Official Journal L303: 1–30Google Scholar
EFSA 2004 Welfare aspects of animal stunning and killing methods. Scientific report of the Scientific Panel for Animal Health and Welfare on a request from the Commission. Question. Adopted on the 15th of June 2004. Brussels. http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/ahaw/ahaw_opinions/495/opinion_ahaw_02_ej45_stunning_report_v2_en1.pdfCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregory, NG 1998 Physiology of stress, distress, stunning and slaughter. In: Gregory, NG (ed) Animal Welfare and Meat Science pp 64–92. CABI: Wallingford, Oxon, UKGoogle Scholar
Gregory, NG 2008 Animal welfare at markets and during transport and slaughter. Meat Science 80: 2–II. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2008.05.019CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gregory, NG and Wotton, SB 1984 Time to loss of brain responsiveness following exsanguination in calves. Resource Veterinary Science 37: 141–143CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guiterrez, G, Reines, HD and Wulf-Gutierrez, ME 2008 Clinical review: hemorrhagic shock. Critical Care 8: 373–381. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/cc2851CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hemsworth, PH, Fisher, AD, Mellor, DJ and Johnson, CB 2009 A scientific comment on the welfare of sheep slaughtered without stunning. http://www.daff.gov.au/_data/assets/pdf_file/0018/1370331/welfare-sheep-slaughter.pdfGoogle Scholar
Kavaliers, M 1989 Evolutionary aspects of the neuro-modulation of nociceptive behaviors. American Zoology 29: 1345–1353CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Llonch, P, Andaluz, A, Rodríguez, P, Dalmau, A, Jensen, EW, Manteca, X and Velarde, A 2011 Assessment of consciousness during Propofol anaesthesia in pigs. Veterinary Record 169: 496. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.d5643CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mellor, DJ, Cook, CJ and Stafford, KJ 2000 Quantifying some responses to pain as a stressor. In: Moberg, GP and Mench, JA (eds) The Biology of Animal Stress: Basic Principles and Implications for Welfare pp 171–198. CABI: Wallingford, Oxon, UKCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mellor, DJ, Gibson, TJ and Johnson, CB 2009 A re-evaluation of the need to stun calves prior to slaughter by ventral-neck incision: An introductory review. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 57: 74–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2009.36881CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
OIE 2009 Slaughter of Animals, Terrestrial Animal Health Code, World Organization for Animal Health, 18th Edition. OIE: Paris, FranceGoogle Scholar
Raj, ABM, Johnson, SP, Wotton, SB and McKinstry, JL 1997 Welfare implications of gas stunning of pigs 3. The time to loss of somatosensory evoked potentials and spontaneous electrocorticogram of pigs during exposure to gases. The Veterinary Journal 153: 329–340. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1090-0233(97)80067-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Revuelta, M, Paniagua, P, Campos, JM, Fernández, JA, Martínez, A, Jospin, M and Litvan, H 2008 Validation of the index of consciousness during sevoflurane and remifentanil anaesthesia: a comparison with the bispectral index and the cerebral state index. British Journal of Anaesthesia 101: 653–658. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bja/aen245CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rodríguez, P, Dalmau, A, Ruiz-de-la-Torre, JL, Manteca, X, Jensen, EW, Rodríguez, B, Litvan, H and Velarde, A 2008 Assessment of unconsciousness during carbon dioxide stunning in pigs. Animal Welfare 17: 341–349CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silva, A, Ferreira, DA, Venâncio, C, Souza, AP and Antunes, LM 2011 Performance of electroencephalogram-derived parameters in prediction of depth of anaesthesia in a rabbit model. British Journal of Anaesthesia 106: 540–547. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bja/aeq407CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
USDA 2010 United States Department of Agriculture, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, National Agriculture Library. USDA: USAGoogle Scholar
Velarde, A, Rodríguez, P, Dalmau, A, Fuentes, C, Llonch, P, von Holleben, K, Anil, H, Cenci, Goga, Lambooij, B, Pleiter, H and Yesildere, T 2010 Religious slaughter: Evaluation of current practices. Factsheet WP2.2 Religious slaughter: Evaluation of current practices. http://www.dialrel.eu/dialrel-resultsGoogle Scholar
Von Holleben, K, von Wenzlawowicz, M, Gregory, N, Anil, H, Velarde, A, Rodríguez, P, Cenci Goga, B, Catanese, B and Lambooij, B 2010 Report on good and adverse practices animal welfare concerns in relation to slaughter practices from the viewpoint of veterinary sciences. WP1. Religion, Legislation and Animal Welfare: Conflicting Standards. http://www.dialrel.eu/dialrel-resultsGoogle Scholar