Why humane slaughtering is important to the industry?

Benefits for business A five-year study of our humane slaughter training found that abattoirs earned a better reputation by using humane methods, helping them compete globally. Staff morale improved too. And because fewer animals were injured, fewer carcasses were bruised – improving meat quality.

What does the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act do?

Originally passed in 1958, the law that is enforced today by the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) was passed as the Humane Slaughter Act of 1978. This Act requires the proper treatment and humane handling of all food animals slaughtered in USDA inspected slaughter plants.

What are the importance of proper handling of animals prior to slaughter?

Fasting before slaughter reduces the volume of gut contents and hence bacteria and therefore reduces the risk of contamination of the carcass during dressing. It is usually sufficient for the animals to receive their last feed on the day before slaughter.

Why animal welfare and humane handling became an issue?

First, it is our ethical obligation to handle animals humanely. Also, mishandling animals can lead to meat quality issues. Good animal handling also enhances safety for workers. Animals that become agitated due to rough handling can injure workers – and themselves.

What is stunning in slaughtering?

The stunning process ensures the animal is unconscious and insensible to pain before being bled out at slaughter. Common stunning methods include electrical stunning, captive-bolt stunning or the use of carbon dioxide gas. Following stunning, the animal is bled and remains unconscious until it dies due to blood loss.

Can animals feel pain after being stunned?

The researchers then showed that the pain originates from cutting throat nerves, not from the loss of blood, suggesting the severed nerves send pain signals until the time of death. Finally, they stunned animals 5 seconds after incision and showed that this makes the pain signal disappear instantly.

Why animals should not be slaughtered?

2. We are creating emotional pain and suffering for the animals. The animals we slaughter for food are extremely intelligent and sensitive creatures, and the way in which we treat them, regardless of whether the meat is factory farmed, free range or organic, is abhorrently cruel.

What happens if you don’t follow Humane Slaughter Act?

Conscious nonambulatory animals may not be dragged, but rather must be moved in a humane manner. A violation of these provisions may result in criminal and civil penalties, such as a fine and/or imprisonment.

How stunning would help in handling the animals in humane way?

The use of stunning to render animals insensible to pain is required in many industrialized countries. Proper application of the chosen stunning method will help prevent meat quality problems. Careful and calm handling of the animals will prevent bruises and maintain high meat quality.

Is Humane Slaughter possible?

How animals are transported and slaughtered can have a large impact on their lifetime welfare. As death itself is harmful to welfare—due to depriving the animal of future positive experiences—slaughter can never be truly humane.