This study is the first investigation of the noxiousness of slaughter by ventral-neck incision, using EEG spectral analysis. It demonstrated that there is a period following slaughter where ventral-neck incision represents a noxious stimulus.

The results validate use of the EEG and a minimal anaesthesia model for assessment of noxious sensory inputs in cattle.

These differences in the cortical response between the two groups suggest that 2-week-old lambs undergo a qualitatively different perception of the noxious stimulus of castration compared to 4-week-old lambs.

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Non-penetrative captive-bolt stunning significantly altered cerebrocortical function in halothane-anaesthetised calves. The changes in cerebrocortical function would be sufficient to produce insensibility within 0 to 14 seconds in conscious animals.