slaughter

Question 1

what are the 5 freedoms

Answer 1

o Freedom from hunger and Thirst
o Freedom of Discomfort
o Freedom from pain, injury or disease
o Freedom to express normal behaviour
o Freedom from Fear or Distress

Question 2

what is animal welfare

Answer 2

o comprises the state of the animal’s body and mind, and the extent to which its nature (genetic traits manifest in breed and temperament) is satisfied

Question 3

how do we measure welfare?

Answer 3

quantitative
- health and physical
- behaviour
- physiological
- biomarkers
- cognitive
qualitative
- behavioural

Question 4

slaughter house must ensure that animals

Answer 4

• provided with physical comfort, kept clean, protected from injury + allowed to express normal behaviour
• don’t show signs of pain/fear
• don’t suffer for long time without food and water

Question 5

steps of slaughtering

Answer 5

1. pre-slaughter handling
2. stunning
3. bleeding

Question 6

types of stunning

Answer 6

mechanical
electrical
gas

Question 7

mechanical stunning

Answer 7

concussion
percussion

Question 8

concussion

Answer 8

• sudden high impact to head - loss of consciousness
• causes the brain to knock about
• captive bolt pistol / non-penetrating percussion device
• to induce immediate unconsciousness

Question 9

percussion

Answer 9

• strikes head with rapid impact without penetrating
• causes unconsciousness
• percussive stunning hammers/guns

Question 10

electrical stunning

Answer 10

using stunning electrodes either side of animals brain so current can pass through and cause unconsciousness
- causes grand mal seizures

Question 11

gas stunning

Answer 11

poultry and pigs
high concentrations of inert gases (argon, nitrogen) or carbon dioxide
can have ethical questions
- gas chambers or tunnels - unconsciousness due to respiratory acidosis and hypoxia, lose consciousness and don’t recover
- easier for large number of pigs and reduces handling stress
- losing consciousness isn’t instantaneous and some get stressed when they inhale the gas

Question 12

bleeding

Answer 12

• after stunning, they’re suspended by hind limb and bled
• inserted knife into thoracic cavity and severe carotid and jugular

Question 13

cattle stunning

Answer 13

mechanical and electrical

Question 14

penetrative captive bolt

Answer 14

• placed on forehead
• trigger
• metal bolt into brain
• penetrates skul
• damages brain and loss of consciousness and pain

Question 15

pig stunning

Answer 15

electrical
- head-only stunning (most common, and behind ears - generalise epileptic seizure)

mechanical
- captive bolt stunning (in larger pigs where electrical isn’t suitable
- gas

Question 16

poultry stunning

Answer 16

electrical
- water bath
gas

Question 17

water bath for poultry

Answer 17

shackled by legs and go through electrically charged water bath
head enters water and Current goes through body
immediate loss of consciousness due to seizure

Question 18

gasing in poultry

Answer 18

CO2
- allows for group stunning
inert gas
- displaces oxygen causing unconsciousness due to anoxia
- may cause less initial discomfort than CO2 as no sensation of breathlessness
low atmospheric pressure stunning (LAPS)
- reduces atmospheric pressure in chamber causing loss of consciousness due to hypoxia as O2 decreases

Question 19

reasons for emergency slaughter

Answer 19

• severe injury
• acute illness
• immobility
• thunder/flash

Question 20

methods of emergency slaughter

Answer 20

• captive bolt gun
• free bullet firearms
• exsanguination

Question 21

documentation and recording for emergency slaughter

Answer 21

o Records: Detailed records of the emergency slaughter, including the reason, method used, and any inspections conducted, must be maintained
o Notification: Depending on local regulations, authorities such as veterinary public health officials or animal welfare agencies may need to be notified of the emergency slaughter, particularly if the meat is intended for consumption.

Question 22

slaughter order

Answer 22

1. injured during unloading
   - to avoid prolonged pain
2. healthy animals
3. sick animals
   - could infect other animals and need rigorous inspection to see if safe for consumption

Question 23

PSE meat

Answer 23

• Pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) meat is the result of a rapid postmortem pH decline while the muscle temperature is too high.
• Both high temperature and low pH  affects muscle proteins  decreasing ability to hold water (meat drips, is soft and mushy)  reflect flight from the surface of meat (meat appears pale)
• PSE meat is especially problematic in the pork industry.
• It is known to be stress-related and inheritable.

Question 24

DFD meat

Answer 24

• Dark, firm, and dry (DFD) meat is the result of an ultimate pH that is higher than normal.
• Carcasses that produce DFD meat are usually referred to as dark cutters.
• Usually from extreme stress/exercise of muscles before slaughter  uses up animals glycogen reserves  PM lactic acid production through anaerobic glycolysis is diminished
• DFD meat is 6.2-6.5 pH and normal meat is 5.5pH
• The dry appearance due to unusually high water-holding capacity  muscle fibres swell with tightly held water.

Question 25

slaughter control

Answer 25

- ensures animals are slaughtered humanely and within legal and welfare standards pre-slaughter handling - proper transport, minimise stress, prevent injury pre slaughter inspection - health checks and to see if they're fit for slaughter stunning and humane slaughter slaughter procedures post-slaughter inspection - check carcass and meat quality hygiene and safety record keeping and documentation training and education

Question 26

pre slaughter health check

Answer 26

ensures animals are healthy and fit for slaughter. These checks help to prevent the processing of animals that might pose a risk to meat quality, public health, or animal welfare.

Question 27

carcass prepared for inspection

Answer 27

- De-headed (except scalded pigs/poultry) - Eviscerated, except kidney - Split (except young animals) - Organs and both halves marked with numbers

Question 28

LN

Answer 28

- Soft-elastic consistency, grey-brown colour - Changes in consistency, shape, size, dystopia - Meat lymph nodes = collect lymph from muscles, bones, tendons, fascia, joints o Lnn. Cervicales superficiales o Lnn. Axilares propria o Lnn. Poplitei o Lnn. Ischiadici o situs - Skin lymph nodes = lymph from skin - Organ lymph nodes = collect lymph from intrinsic organs

Question 29

bovine meat inspection

Answer 29

- Regulation o Cattle younger than 8 months o > 8 months cattle - Blood – coagulation, colour, bleeding - Head – clean, processed, symmetrical o Serosa’s, signs of stunning and sampling o Tongue – actinobacillosis o Nervous tissue for prion diseases o Masseter muscle for cysticercosis o Lymph nodes for TB - Lymph nodes on head of cattle: o < 8 months lnn. Retropharyngei med. Et. Lat. – palpation (incision if necessary) o > 8 months lnn. Retropharyngei med. Et. Lat. Incision and if necessary incision of: mandibulares and parotidei - Masticatory muscles o Cutting of m.masseter – 2 cuts parallel with mandibula, 1 cut into m. pterygoideus o Only applies for cattle older than 8 months  susceptible to Cysticercosis o Cysticercosis – c. bovis

Question 30

judgment of tuberculosis

Answer 30

Judgement - Tuberculi present within more than 1 organ system and carcass parts  the whole carcass is unfit for human consumption - Tuberculi in lymph nodes of just one organ or one carcass part  only affected organ, affected carcass part and local lymph node are unfit for human consumption

Question 31

control of cystiercosis

Answer 31

- Postmortem meat inspection - Serology – ELISA - Farms officially free of cysticercosis - Meat judgement – invaded meat – unfit for human consumption - Parts of carcass free of cysts – conditionally acceptable for consumption – only after freezing - Heart, oesophagus, muscles, diaphragm

Question 32

BSE

Answer 32

- All cattle must be tested for BSE if they: o Of any age, show some clinical symptoms related to CNS o Older than 48 months  Are suspected based on ante mortem findings  emergency slaughtered (accident)/ from serious physiological/ functional disorders  Died or killed on farm, except during eradication of disease, or epidemic measures  Died or killed during transport or in slaughterhouse - If cattle are imported from 3rd counties, Romania, Bulgaria they must be tested for BSE if they are: o Older than 30 months – regular slaughter- healthy animal o Older than 30 months and slaughtered within eradication of diseases, and they don’t show clinical symptoms o Older than 24 months compared to older than 48 months from normal countries

Question 33

palpation of tongue in cattle

Answer 33

if necessary

Question 34

lungs in cattle

Answer 34

- trachea, oesophagus – visual inspection - 1. Visual and palpation: all cattle - 2. Lungs lymph nodes: o Mediastinal, bronchial (bifurcation lymph nodes) - Cut in cattle older than 8 months - If necessary – cut in younger animals too - Then opening the trachea and bronchia and longitudinal cross section in caudal third of the lungs - If lungs are not intended for human consumption, these inspections are omitted

Question 35

heart in cattle

Answer 35

- Pericardium and heart – colour, transparency, exudate, fibrosis - Opening ventricles – endocardium, valves, consistency of myocardium - Cutting into septum - cysticercosis - It applies for cattle older than 8 months

Question 36

liver in cattle

Answer 36

- < 8 months = Visual inspection - > 8 months o Visual inspection o If necessary: additional palpation of liver and lymph nodes (lnn. Portales) and cutting on visceral part (lobus caudatus) to check bile canals

Question 37

GI in cattle

Answer 37

- GI, LN (lnn. Gastrici, mesenterici), mesentry – visual inspection (young cattle) and palpation (older cattle) - Cutting the lymph nodes – if necessary (suspected animals; all cattle)

Question 38

inspection in pigs

Answer 38

- Head, mouth, pharynx, tongue – visual inspection - Head – cutting into lnn. Mandibulares – in case of suspected animals - Lungs, trachea, oesophagus – visual inspection - Lungs and lymph nodes – palpation - Opening the trachea, bronchi and cutting into lung parenchyma – not done if lungs are not intended for human consumption - Pericardium and heart – visual only o Cutting and opening heart, cutting into septum only if necessary - Diaphragm – visual - Liver and lnn. Portales – visual o Palpation if necessary - GI tract, peritoneum, L.nodes – visual and palpation and cutting l.nodes if necessary (RISK-BASED) - Spleen – visual, palpation if necessary - Kidney- visual, cutting if necessary (with lnn. Renales) - Peritoneum, pleura- visual - Reproductive organs- visual - Samples after the artificial digestion must be examined immediately