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Animals
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Humane Killing of Farm Animals
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Humane Killing of Farm Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 13466

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Antoni Dalmau

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Guest Editor
Animal Welfare Program, IRTA, Veinat de Sies s/n, 17121 Monells, Girona, Spain
Interests: animal welfare

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the key questions when considering animal welfare in farm animals is how they are killed. There are at least three main situations to consider when killing animals. The first one is when animals are transported to abattoirs at the end of their productive lives. The second one is when animals need to be killed in a farm due to the need to alleviate suffering in the course of a disease, disorder, or injuries. The third one is when a group of animals needs to be killed due to depopulation measures preceding a crisis. This affects different species under very different scenarios, but all of them have common needs: proper handling while the animals are conscious; a proper stunning system before or at the same time that the animals are killed; and proper assessment of all the processes, including signs of consciousness and unconsciousness.

Some  of these aspects have been studied in the past, but now is a good time to allow researchers in the field to present new advances, trends, and challenges for preventing suffering to animals at the moment of killing. The aim of this Special Issue is therefore to collate a body of work on the theme of “Humane Killing of Farm Animals”, to demonstrate both current progress and future solutions.

Original manuscripts that address any aspects under the scope of humane killing of farm animals are invited for this Special Issue. However, topics of particular interest include new or improved stunning methods; new or improved methods for killing under scenarios of emergency killing or depopulation; new or improved indicators of consciousness, unconsciousness, and pain; new or improved assessment protocols of animal welfare at the abattoirs; and strategies related to the arrival of animals at the abattoirs, lairage, or handling.

Dr. Antoni Dalmau
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Arrival after transport
  • Pain assessment
  • Depopulation
  • Stunning
  • Emergency killing
  • Unconsciousness assessment
  • Handling
  • Welfare assessment
  • Lairage

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 949 KiB  
Article
Animal Welfare and Meat Quality Assessment in Gas Stunning during Commercial Slaughter of Pigs Using Hypercapnic-Hypoxia (20% CO2 2% O2) Compared to Acute Hypercapnia (90% CO2 in Air)
by Sophie Atkinson, Bo Algers, Joaquim Pallisera, Antonio Velarde and Pol Llonch
Animals 2020, 10(12), 2440; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122440 - 20 Dec 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4568
Abstract
This study assessed aversion, stunning effectiveness, and product quality of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) mixtures used for stunning pigs. A total of 1852 slaughter pigs divided into two similar batches was assessed during routine slaughter in a Swedish commercial abattoir [...] Read more.
This study assessed aversion, stunning effectiveness, and product quality of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) mixtures used for stunning pigs. A total of 1852 slaughter pigs divided into two similar batches was assessed during routine slaughter in a Swedish commercial abattoir using either hypercapnic-hypoxia (20% CO2 and less than 2% O2; 20C2O) or hypercapnia (90% CO2; 90C) gas mixtures. Behavioral indicators of aversion and discomfort were recorded. After exposure, the stunning quality was assessed through brainstem reflexes. After slaughter, the pH and electric conductivity of carcasses were assessed to estimate the incidence of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork, and the presence of ecchymosis were inspected. Compared to 90C, pigs exposed to 20C2O showed a later (p < 0.05) onset of behaviors indicative of aversion, and a lower (p < 0.01) incidence of breathlessness. However, unconsciousness (i.e., losing posture) appeared earlier (p < 0.01) in 90C compared to 20C2O. In 90C, all (100%) pigs were adequately stunned, whereas in 20C2O a 7.4% of pigs showed signs of poor stunning, especially when oxygen concentrations were >2% (p < 0.001). The percentage of PSE carcasses was higher (p < 0.01) in 20C2O than 90C. In conclusion, compared to 90C, 20C2O reduced aversion and discomfort but showed lower stun effectiveness, especially when O2 was above 2%, and a slightly poorer pork quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Humane Killing of Farm Animals)
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12 pages, 1436 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Occurrence of False Aneurysms During Halal Slaughtering and Consequences on the Animal’s State of Consciousness
by Giancarlo Bozzo, Elisabetta Bonerba, Roberta Barrasso, Rocco Roma, Francesco Luposella, Nicola Zizzo and Giuseppina Tantillo
Animals 2020, 10(7), 1183; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10071183 - 13 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2310
Abstract
This study evaluated the occurrence of false aneurysms and reflexes in bovines, associated with the point along the neck where the cut was performed. The survey was carried out on a total of 1200 male beef cattle, belonging mainly to the Charolais and [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the occurrence of false aneurysms and reflexes in bovines, associated with the point along the neck where the cut was performed. The survey was carried out on a total of 1200 male beef cattle, belonging mainly to the Charolais and Limousin breeds, aged between twelve and twenty-four months. In the slaughterhouse, three operators, identified by convention as Operator C4, Operator C2, and Operator C1, performed the Halal slaughtering. Each operator carried out the slaughter of 400 animals and, on the basis of his own professional training, performed the cutting of the vessels at different points along the neck: Operator C4 between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae; Operator C2 at the level of the second cervical vertebra; and Operator C1 at the first cervical vertebra. The occurrence of false aneurysms was assessed on the basis of the different cutting site used by the three operators. Then, the evaluation of consciousness indicators, that is, rhythmic breathing and eye response, closely related to a slow bleeding process and to a delayed loss of brain function, was carried out 90 s post-bleeding. The group of cattle slaughtered by Operator C4 had a prevalence of false aneurysms of 10.25%. Conversely, the other two groups of cattle slaughtered by Operators C2 and C1 showed false aneurysm formation in 7.25% of each case. Further, 37.5% of the animals (18 for Operator C4, 17 for Operator C2, and 16 for Operator C1) with signs of consciousness 90 s after sticking were consequent to the onset of false aneurysms and, more precisely, they were owing to a late second cut of the vessel carried out by the operator, when false aneurysms occurred. The results of the research showed that the cutting point chosen by the operator is a key element in determining the onset of false aneurysms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Humane Killing of Farm Animals)
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Review

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16 pages, 1094 KiB  
Review
Pain at the Slaughterhouse in Ruminants with a Focus on the Neurobiology of Sensitisation
by Daniel Mota-Rojas, Fabio Napolitano, Ana Strappini, Agustín Orihuela, Marcelo Daniel Ghezzi, Ismael Hernández-Ávalos, Patricia Mora-Medina and Alexandra L. Whittaker
Animals 2021, 11(4), 1085; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041085 - 10 Apr 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5653
Abstract
We pose, based on a neurobiological examination, that events that occur around the time of slaughter have the potential to intensify the pain response, through the processes of sensitisation and enhanced transmission. Sensitisation, or an enhanced response to painful stimuli, is a well-discussed [...] Read more.
We pose, based on a neurobiological examination, that events that occur around the time of slaughter have the potential to intensify the pain response, through the processes of sensitisation and enhanced transmission. Sensitisation, or an enhanced response to painful stimuli, is a well-discussed phenomenon in the human medical literature, which can arise from previous injury to an area, inflammatory reactions, or previous overstimulation of the stress axes. A number of events that occur prior to arrival at, or in the slaughterhouse, may lead to presence of these factors. This includes previous on-farm pathology, injuries arising from transport and handling and lack of habituation to humans. Whilst there is limited evidence of a direct effect of these on the processes of sensitisation in animals at slaughter, by analogy with the human neurobiology literature the connection seems plausible. In this review a neurobiological approach is taken to discuss this hypothesis in the light of basic science, and extrapolations from existing literature on the slaughter of ruminants. To confirm the postulated link between events at slaughter, and processes of hypersensitisation, further dedicated study is required. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Humane Killing of Farm Animals)
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