STUNNING LARGE LIVESTOCK IN A CATTLE CRUS H AND DESTROYING THE SPINAL-CORD WITH COMPRESSED-AIR

In guideline 93/119 EC issued by the Council on 22. 12. 1993 on animal welfare at the time of slaughter or killing appendix B defines stunni ng clearly as follows: ''Animals are to be stunned in such a way that they are brought quickly and without pain or suffering into a state of insensibility and absence of awareness which lasts until death''. The slaughtering regulations as related to animal welfare (TierschlV), wh ich exist at present as a draft in a revised edition dated 16. 4. 1995 , describe and require expert stunning that avoids as far as possible ''faulty stunning'' caused by unsuitable technical equipment and/or em ployee error. The present paper hopes to provide information on slaugh ter technology with animal welfare in mind and also hopes to encourage further thought on the matter and further investigations.