Practical guidelines intended to enable abattoir staff to recognise an
d prevent the occurrence of poor welfare practice during pig stunning
and slaughter are discussed. The results from a MAFF commissioned surv
ey on electrical stunning and slaughter of pigs carried out in England
and Wales (1993), was used as a framework for this paper. Recommendat
ions for equipment test procedures, measurement of stunning parameters
, assessment of stunning effectiveness and recognition of signs of rec
overy were proposed for use in abattoirs.