EFFECT OF A LOW-VOLTAGE WITH A HIGH-FREQU ENCY ELECTRICAL STUNNING ONUNCONSCIOUSNESS IN SLAUGHTER PIGS

Effects of low voltage and high frequency electrical stunning of slaug hter pigs was examined. Forty slaughter pigs were positioned for stunn ing while lying on a beam in a cage and stunned with 240 V with 800 Hz during 3 s passing the brain and 125 V with 50 Hz during 3 s passing the heart. Before the treatment the animals were equipped with electro encephalogram and electrocardiogram electrodes. Behaviour and reflexes were observed. After stunning the pigs showed a widened pupil, uncoor dinated corneal reflexes and no reaction to needle stitches in the leg . The external appearance existed of a tonic cramp, alternatively clon ic cramps followed by relaxation. All pigs showed the characteristics of a general epileptiform insult on the EEG and a fibrillation except one with a cardiac arrest on the ECG. It was concluded that electrical head stunning using this high frequency combined with heart stunning using this low frequency is an effective method of stunning slaughter pigs.