Abstract: In most of the developed countries, excluding the United States of America, it is a statutory requirement that all animals including poultry slaughtered for human consumption are rendered immediately unconscious (stunning) and they remain so until death supervenes through blood loss (slaughter). The duration of unconsciousness induced by a stunning procedure must be longer than the sum of time that lapses between the end of stun and neck cutting and the time to onset of death following neck cutting. Since the effect of a stunning method is momentary, the onus of preventing resumption of consciousness thereafter relies on the efficiency of slaughter procedure (bleeding out); i.e. the prompt and accurate severance of blood vessels (neck cutting) supplying oxygenated blood to the brain. Some stunning procedures are therefore purposefully applied to induce humane death (e.g. killing with argon or nitrogen-induced anoxia), rather than mere unconsciousness, and other methods lead to death due to structural damage to the brain (e.g. penetrating captive bolts).
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-12-21
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 2
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