Welfare at Slaughter 2

Question 1

What is sticking and bleeding?

Answer 1

Sticking is when an animal’s neck is cut, using a very sharp knife, to sever the major blood vessels in its neck and chest that supply the brain, ensuring rapid blood loss and therefore death.
Bleeding involves severing the carotid arteries and jugular veins, or the blood vessels from which they arise. The animal then dies from loss of blood

Question 2

What phase is sticking and bleeding done

Answer 2

Ideally tonic (rigid) before the clonic kicking

Question 3

What does stun to stun mean

Answer 3

Stun to stun - death is result of bleeding = must stick and bleed

Question 4

What is stun to kill

Answer 4

Death result of stunning method e.g. free bullet

Question 5

What to different sticking points depend on?
sheep and goats?
cattle and pigs?

Answer 5

The BV that supply blood to the brain
Sheep and goats = 2 (carotid and jugular)
Cattle and pigs = 3 (Carotid, jugular and vertebral arteries)

Question 6

Most effective sticking point for red meat

Answer 6

Chest stick - all major BV

cut brachiocephalic trunk = Jugular, carotid, vertebral

Question 7

Sheep sticking methods

Answer 7

Can be 2
 Same as Cattle and pigs OR
 Deep transverse cut across throat close to head to sever 4 main BV in neck: Carotid X2 and Jugular X2 BOTH all 4 must be cut
• Only acceptable in sheep and goats because no direct blood supply from vertebral artery to brain

Question 8

How does stress affect meat?

Answer 8

Affects quality

• stress affects metabolism of glycogen in muscles
• affected meat doesn’t eat or keep well
• Glycogen = energy source for muscle activity
• after slaughter, glycogen is catabolised to lactic acid = reduction pH
• amount of glycogen pre slaughter affects the pH achieved post slaughter
• chronic stress = depletes glycogen
• acute stress = increases metabolic activity

Question 9

What does meat look like if fighting pre slaughter

Answer 9

fighting = acute stress

• Very fast drop in pH
• meat = pale, soft, exulative
• meat loses lot of fluid
• loss of weight in fridge
• loss of money

Question 10

What does meat look if chronic stress

Answer 10

Dark and firm and dry

pH cannot drop as chronic stress has depleted glycogen = less catabolised to lactic acid

Question 11

PSE - pale soft and exulative meat

Answer 11

Acute stress
AS increases metabolic activity of glycogen - lactic acid
pH drops rapidly
denaturation of proteins due to low pH and high temps
inability to keep fluids in cells = loss of fluid, weight in fridge and money

Question 12

DFD - dry firm dark meat

Answer 12

Chronic stress

CS depletes glycogen = hihg pH = no denaturation proteins = fluid remains bound

Question 13

Rules of CCTV in slaughterhouses

Answer 13

mandatory to have
Must keep CCTC images for 90 days
Must make the images available to FSA inspectors

Question 14

Methods for poultry stunning

Answer 14

Gas most common
Waterbath electrical- head only in water = stunned
whole body = cardiac arrest = stun to kill

Question 15

different shackle methods for gas or electrical in poultry

Answer 15

Poultry:
Electrical = SHACKLE then stun either to stun or kill
Gas (most common) = stun then shackle
ONLY stun to kill

Question 16

Electrical stunning of poultry- which method is moat often used in commercial abattoirs

Answer 16

High frequency AC current

• produced immediate and effective stun
• without causing damage to rest of carcass
• improves meat quality

Question 17

signs of effective electrical stun in poultry

Answer 17

1. Eyes open
2. Neck arched with head held vertically
3. No rhythmic breathing
4. Rigidly extended legs (although not appropriate indicator when shackled)
5. Constant rapid body tremors
6. Wings held tightly against body

Question 18

Advantages and disadvantages electricals stunning in poultry

Answer 18

Ad:
v rapid
relatively chepa to implement
Dis: Proportion of birds miss stunning
high frequency stunning doesn't kill- potential to reach scald tank conscious if neck cutting missed

Question 19

Ad and dis of gas Stunning poultry

Answer 19

Gas most common
Ad= minimal pre slaughter handling and no need for live shackling
Improved health adn safety of persons hanging birds
no possibility of pre stun shocks
No possibility of missing stunner or inadaquate stuns
improved carcase quality (reduced incidence of broken bones and internal haemorrhaging)

Dis -
Expensive initial outlay
Possible danger of leaks
May be associated with initial discomfort