Module 8

Question 1

killing of animals for food or when large numbers of animals are killed to control an outbreak of disease

Answer 1

Slaughther

Question 2

Two methods for slaughtering smaller animals such as lamb and poultry

Answer 2

1. Exsanguination
2. Decapitation

Question 3

is typically achieved with hobbles, ropes and rings in the floor, or by tying the animal to posts or trees

Answer 3

Restraint

Question 4

Enumerate sensory input that animals receive during the chain of events leading to slaughter

Answer 4

• handling and increased human contact
• unfamiliar environments
• lack of food and water
• varying climatic conditions
• changes in social structure

Question 5

affect the acidity and water-holding capacity of the muscle, and therefore the value of it as a meat product

Answer 5

stress

Question 6

A result of pre-slaughter stress in beef, lamb, and poultry meat that depletes the muscle glycogen stores leading to little lactic acid in the muscle at slaughter so the pH of the meat is higher than normal

Answer 6

dark firm dry (DFD) meat

Question 7

Higher pH in meat means? (4)

Answer 7

1. normal post-mortem setting of meat does not occur and the meat looks DARK, FIRM, and DRY. Also, the meat is generally TOUGH and UNPALATABLE
2. meat is more susceptible to bacterial spoilage
3. DFD meat indicates that the animals experienced stress, injury, disease or fatigue before slaughter
4. Reduced profit for the abattoir because the meat may be unusable

Question 8

Also results from stress on meat quality pork where glycogen is not depleted in the pig during pre-slaughter stress leading to rapid drop in pH

Answer 8

Pale Soft Exudative (PSE)

Question 9

Describe PSE or Pale Soft Exudative pork

Answer 9

Pork is pale and exudes fluids. Unpalatable, and it is also unsuitable for processing.

Question 10

Enumerate during transport factors that may reduce or increase welfare

Answer 10

• whether the animals are fit for transport
• environmental conditions including driving style, road conditions, vehicle design and operation, space allowance, etc.
• long transport times

Question 11

these are in pens close to the slaughterhouse where animals after transport are rested before slaughtering

Answer 11

lairage

Question 12

Lairage offers the possibility of resting the animals after sometimes long journeys. However, lairage itself may be very stressful because animals may?

Answer 12

1. be mixed with other unfamiliar animals, resulting in fighting
2. be washed to remove feces and dirt; high pressure spraying with water can be stressful have food withheld
3. be hit or goaded with electric prods to move them within the lairage
4. not be provided with water or shade
5. not have the opportunity to carry out ‘coping’ behaviours such as escape, hiding

Question 13

much preferred to ropes and casting

Answer 13

mechanical restraint

Question 14

Characteristics of good mechanical restraint

Answer 14

1. allow for a comfortable, upright position
2. use non-slip flooring
3. ensure that if there is any pressure on the animal’s sides, back or belly it is evenly distributed
   4.try to ensure there are no pressure points
4. minimise the animal’s view of shadows or sudden movements
5. block any vision from the restraining box using solid walls

Question 15

restraint of poultry being suspended upside down by the legs and moved along an automated line prior to stunning

Answer 15

Shackling

Question 16

According to OIE guidelines, how many seconds should the interval between shackling and stunning not exceed?

Answer 16

60 seconds

Question 17

commonly used to severe the spinal cord disabling the animal prior to cutting their throat

Answer 17

puntilla

Question 18

Give the four most common methods of stunning.

Answer 18

1. electrical stunning
2. captive bolt stunning
3. percussive stunning
4. gas stunning

Question 19

These 3 methods of stunning can achieve instantaneous insensibility in almost all animals (i.e. within 200 milliseconds)

Answer 19

1. electrical stunning
2. captive bolt stunning
3. percussive stunning

Question 20

The process of carotid arteries and jugular veins severed by a cut or ‘stick’ into the upper chest area of the unconscious animal just above the heart

Answer 20

chest sticking

Question 21

In ruminants and pigs, exsanguination of killing is sometimes called

Answer 21

sticking/bleeding

Question 22

This method is used for killing pigs, small ruminants and birds but rarely for cattle.

Answer 22

electrocution

Question 23

This method is used for killing pigs and birds only and is always followed by bleeding

Answer 23

killing by gas

Question 24

Killing of animal by gas results to

Answer 24

anoxia

Question 25

Electrical stunning renders animal unconscious by delivering electrical energy to the brain and causing?

Answer 25

‘grand mal’ seizure

Question 26

3 disadvantages of automated ‘water bath’ electrical stunning

Answer 26

1. Pre-stun shocks 2. Ineffective and inadequate stunning 3. Poor bleed-out

Question 27

Preferred method than electrical stunning in some species

Answer 27

captive bolt stunning

Question 28

In this method, a bolt is released when the pistol is fired at the skull

Answer 28

captive bolt stunning

Question 29

Another method of stunning that is non-penetrating, stunning pistol transfers energy through the bones of the skull causing depolarisation of the nerves without penetrating the bone

Answer 29

concussive stunning

Question 30

This method has been used in religious slaughter, where stunning with penetration is perceived as being contrary to the requirement for the animal to be ‘intact’ at the time of exsanguination

Answer 30

concussive stunning/stunner

Question 31

animals best stunned with the weapon (captive bolt) against the front of the face

Answer 31

cattle

Question 32

In these species, optimum shooting position is along the midline of the skull, approximately 2.5 cm above the imaginary line connecting the eyes

Answer 32

pigs

Question 33

these animals' skull is thick at the front and stunning is more effective if they are stunned at the back of the head

Answer 33

water buffalo

Question 34

stunned on the top of the head, at the highest point of the skull

Answer 34

sheep and goats without horns

Question 35

stunning gun is positioned just behind the ridge connecting the horns while the gun is aimed towards the angle of the jaw

Answer 35

horned sheep and goats

Question 36

used for poultry and pigs where animals are placed in chambers with high concentrations of CO2 (carbon dioxide) or argon gas

Answer 36

gas stunning

Question 37

an inert gas that displaces oxygennot sensed by the animal

Answer 37

argon

Question 38

acts as an anesthetic gas at high concentrations

Answer 38

CO2

Question 39

Signs that stunning has been effective

Answer 39

1. lack of corneal reflexes and blinking 2. head hangs straight down 3. tongue may hang out 4. body hangs straight down – no arching of the back or struggling 5. gasping and gagging reflexes, but no rhythmic breathing or vocalisations 6. no peripheral body reflexes

Question 40

achieved by cutting the major blood vessels in the neck (carotid arteries and jugular veins)

Answer 40

exsanguination

Question 41

Jewish method of slaughter

Answer 41

schechita

Question 42

Jewish method of slaughter is called schechita and it produces?

Answer 42

kosher meat

Question 43

Muslim method of stunning that produces halal meat

Answer 43

dhabh or zabiha

Question 44

most comfortable way to restrain animals for slaughter

Answer 44

upright

Question 45

simple way to raise awareness amongst slaughter personnel and to help them improve standards of care

Answer 45

audits

Question 46

based on the OIE standards of transport and slaughter

Answer 46

numerical scoring method of auditing welfare

Question 47

In numerical scoring method of auditing welfare, how many percentage of animals must be effectively stunned at the first attempt

Answer 47

95%

Question 48

In numerical scoring method of auditing welfare, how many percentage of animals should vocalise during handling and stunning

Answer 48

less than 5%

Question 49

Factors that influence effectiveness of legislation

Answer 49

1. Limited resources 2. Limited training of slaughterhouse personnel 3. Lack of willingness 4. Local or regional differences in accepted practices 5. Enforcement body may share interests with those policed, or the industry is policed internally