The Slaughter of Farmed Animals Practical Ways of Enhancing Animal Welfare

1. Introduction to Livestock and Poultry Welfare at Slaughter
2. Welfare Issues at Slaughter
3. Tradeoffs Balancing Livestock and Poultry Welfare Concerns with the Commercial Reality of Slaughter
4. Condition of Animals on Arrival at the Abattoir and Their Management During Lairage
5. The Basics of Bruising in Cattle – What, When and How
6. Behavioural Principles of Stockmanship and Abattoir Facility Design
7. Review of Scientific Research Studies on Poultry Stunning Methods
8. Stunning Poultry with Controlled Atmosphere Systems
9. Stunning of Pigs and Sheep with Electricity and CO 2
10. Basics of Captive Bolt Stunning of Cattle and Other Animals
11. Religious Slaughter and How to Improve Welfare During Both Kosher and Halal Methods
12. Auditing and Assessing the Welfare of Livestock and Poultry During Pre-slaughter Handling and Stunning
13. Determining Unconsciousness and Insensibility in Commercial Abattoirs
14. The Physiology of the Brain and Determining Insensibility and Unconsciousness
15. The Importance of Good Pre-slaughter Handling to Improve Meat Quality in Cattle, Pigs, Sheep and Poultry
16. The Use of Abattoir Data to Provide Information on the Welfare of Livestock and Poultry on the Farm and During Transport
17. Approaches to Legislation and Enforcement to Minimize Welfare Issues Associated with Slaughter
18. Ethical Issues: Introduction to Chapters 18a–e

From philosophical and ethical views on the slaughter of farmed livestock, to the intensely practical guidelines that need to be put in place to maximize animal welfare, this book provides a balance between evidence-based, scientific studies and down to earth practical advice. It is an important publication for government and private industry managers, veterinarians and animal welfare practitioners who will be implementing improvements in the humane slaughter of livestock throughout the world. Key Points: Evidence-based and scientifically sound yet highly practical in its advice The book covers highly controversial issues such as the tradeoffs between balancing animal welfare concerns with commercial realities as well as religious slaughter and cultural differences in attitudes.