Auditing animal welfare at slaughter plants. 2010

Temple Grandin
Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.

The OIE Welfare Standards on slaughter transport, and killing of animals for disease control are basic minimum standards that every country should follow. The OIE, European Union, and many private standards used by commercial industry have an emphasis on animal based outcome standards instead of engineering based standards. Numerical scoring is used by both private industry and some governments to access animal welfare at slaughter plants. Five variables are measured. They are: 1) Percentage of animals effectively stunned on the first attempt, 2) Percentage rendered insensible, 3) Percentage that vocalize (bellow, moo, squeal) during handling and stunning, 4) Percentage that fall during handling, and 5) Percentage moved with an electric goad. Each one of these critical control points measures the outcome of many problems. A good animal welfare auditing system also has standards that prohibit really bad practices such as dragging, dropping, throwing, puntilla, and hoisting live animals before ritual slaughter. On farm and transport problems that can be measured at the slaughter plant are: percentage of lame animals, percentage of thin animals, percentage of dirty animals, percentage with sores, bruises or lesions, death losses, morbidity, and percentage of birds with broken wings and legs.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008462 Meat-Packing Industry The aggregate enterprise of technically producing packaged meat. Industry, Meat-Packing,Industries, Meat-Packing,Industry, Meat Packing,Meat Packing Industry,Meat-Packing Industries
D006234 Handling, Psychological Physical manipulation of animals and humans to induce a behavioral or other psychological reaction. In experimental psychology, the animal is handled to induce a stress situation or to study the effects of "gentling" or "mothering". Handling (Psychology),Handling, Psychology,Psychological Handling,Psychology Handling
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000003 Abattoirs Places where animals are slaughtered and dressed for market. Slaughterhouses,Slaughter House,Slaughter Houses,Abattoir,House, Slaughter,Houses, Slaughter,Slaughterhouse
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000822 Animal Husbandry The science of breeding, feeding and care of domestic animals; includes housing and nutrition. Animal Husbandries,Husbandries, Animal,Husbandry, Animal
D000827 Animal Welfare The protection of animals in laboratories or other specific environments by promoting their health through better nutrition, housing, and care. Animal Cruelty,Cruelty, Animal,Welfare, Animal
D000829 Animals, Domestic Animals which have become adapted through breeding in captivity to a life intimately associated with humans. They include animals domesticated by humans to live and breed in a tame condition on farms or ranches for economic reasons, including LIVESTOCK (specifically CATTLE; SHEEP; HORSES; etc.), POULTRY; and those raised or kept for pleasure and companionship, e.g., PETS; or specifically DOGS; CATS; etc. Farm Animals,Domestic Animals,Domesticated Animals,Animal, Domestic,Animal, Domesticated,Animal, Farm,Animals, Domesticated,Animals, Farm,Domestic Animal,Domesticated Animal,Farm Animal
D014186 Transportation The means of moving persons, animals, goods, or materials from one place to another. Commuting
D017408 Guidelines as Topic Works about a systematic statement of policy rules or principles. Guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by convening expert panels. For guidelines in the field of health care and clinical medicine, PRACTICE GUIDELINES AS TOPIC is available. Guidelines as Topics

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