FIELD-STUDY ON WELFARE AND MEAT QUALITY A SPECTS OF THE MIDAS-PIG-STUNNING DEVICE WITH INARCO SYSTEM - PART 1 - CURRENT CHARACTERISTICS ANDSTUNNING EFFECTIVENESS

Welfare aspects of the Midas-stunning device were evaluated under prac tical conditions on 6056 pigs (60-155 kg life weight) in three Europea n plants (line speed: 156, 358, 365 pigs per hour). Carcass/meat quali ty was also taken into account (see part II). Current flow was registe red and video analyses of head electrode placement and movements of th e pigs after stunning were made. Reflex activity (eye reflexes, nose p inch) 40 to 60 seconds after stunning and cardiac arrest (electrocardi ogram) were tested. With the Midas device (head current: 2,3-2,6 A, 80 0 Hz, 2,1-2,4s; heart current: 1,0-1,7 A, 50 Hz, 2, 1-2,4s; both sinus wave form) incidence of correct stunning was 99,1 %. With sufficient electrode-body contact (incidence: 98,8 %) 1,3 Ampere were achieved af ter 440 ms at the latest. Deficient stunning was caused by disadvantag eous fixation so that the head could not be caught correctly (welfare relevant: 0,7 % of the pigs). Both technical improvements and mainly r eduction of the strain during lining up are necessary (see part II). M oreover the sticking person is especially responsible for the correct treatment of falsely stunned pigs. Head-stunning time of less than 4 s econds (German law) here does not result in incorrect stunning. Effect ive cardiac arrest and relatively low reflex activity also confirm the good stunning. Stunning-effectiveness seems a progress compared to co nventional stunning facilities especially at higher line speed.