Relationships between time of stunning and time of throat cutting and their effect on blood pressure and blood splash in lambs

Kirton, A. H.; Bishop, W.H.; Mullord, M.M.; Frazerhurst, L.F.

doi:10.1016/0309-1740(78)90005-0

Cited by 30 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Severance of major blood vessels in the neck will result in a catastrophic fall in blood pressure with a resultant fall in cardiac output. Kirton et al (1978) found that the time from sticking to zero pressure measured in the femoral artery of EHOS lambs stunned with 100-200V for 2s, ranged from 27-100s (mean 47s) but it is unlikely that venous pressure is maintained for such a length of time. Although the heart may continue to beat for more than 10 minutes after slaughter (Newhook & Blackmore, 1982) the heart's function as a pump ceases once the venous pressure drops below a critical limit however, little research has been conducted to establish the pressure or time at which this occurs.…”

Section: Experimental Protocolmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…It should be noted that the 'quality' of the slaughter period is arguably more important than the length of time to loss of consciousness because an extended time in which the animal is losing consciousness with minimum pain and distress is probably more desirable than a shorter more stressful period (Regenstein, personal communication). An additional advantage is that blood splash, a common complaint of Muslim consumers (Farouk et al, 2014), which can occur in EHOS occurs significantly less in PCEHOS (Kirton et al, 1978). Anil et al (2004), Velarde et al (2003 and Warriss & Leach (1978) have each measured the bleeding of slaughtered lambs.…”

Section: Regulation 1099/2009)mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…EHOS is known to increase blood pressure by an average of 3.5 times within an average 11s from the stun (Kirton et al, 1978). One of the actions of EHOS is cardiac inhibition via parasympathetic stimulation mediated by the vagus nerve.…”

Section: Experimental Protocolmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A comparison of blood loss during the Halal slaughter of lambs following Traditional Religious Slaughter without stunning, Electric Head-Only Stunning and Post-Cut Electric Head-Only Stunning

Khalid¹,

Knowles

Wotton

2015

Meat Science

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Blood lost at exsanguination during the Halal slaughter of lambs was compared between the slaughter methods of Traditional Religious Slaughter without stunning (TRS), Electric Head-Only Stunning (EHOS) and Post-Cut Electric Head-Only Stunning (PCEHOS). Two protocols were examined, Experimental (80 lambs) and Commercial (360 lambs), assessing varying periods of animal orientation during the 4 min bleeding process (upright orientation before vertical hanging). Live-weight, blood weight (Experimental only), carcass weights and by-product weights were recorded. The Experimental protocol highlighted an increase in blood loss at 60s in EHOS and PCEHOS compared to TRS (P<0.001) but by 90 s there was no significant difference. A post-slaughter change in animal orientation from an upright to a vertical hanging position aided the amount of blood loss. The bleeding of lambs is largely completed by 2 min. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in final blood loss between treatments. This research was undertaken to inform discussion on the merits of different slaughter methods compatible with Halal requirements.

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Section: Experimental Protocolmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Regulation 1099/2009)mentioning

confidence: 95%

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A comparison of blood loss during the Halal slaughter of lambs following Traditional Religious Slaughter without stunning, Electric Head-Only Stunning and Post-Cut Electric Head-Only Stunning

Khalid¹,

Knowles

Wotton

2015

Meat Science

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“…Electrical methods appeared to be the most economic and effective techniques for stunning sheep and calves and were adopted by most companies. However, in the first season in which they were widely used, many lamb carcases showed a high prevalence of muscle ecchymoses known as blood splash(2) and the problem was further investigated by Kirton et a ( 7 ). These authors(2) (7) showed that the condition was associated with electrical stunning as had been previously demonstrated (II).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Stunning and slaughter of sheep and calves in New Zealand

Blackmore

Petersen

1981

New Zealand Veterinary Journal

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The effects of various aspects of electrical stunning and slaughter were studied in more than 4,000 sheep and calves, the majority of which were being processed in different New Zealand meat export works.Electrical stunning must induce cardiac dysfunction to ensure that sheep and lambs do not regain sensibility during currently employed slaughter processes. Electrical stunning by both "head-to-back" and "head-to-Ieg" methods produces cardiac inhibition provided that electrodes are properly positioned and sufficient electrical current is applied. Electrocardiograms (ECG) of electrically stunned animals demonstrated that cardiac dysfunction can be readily detected by the use ofstethoscope. The reactions of stunned and slaughtered animals to various nervous stimuli are unreliable determinants of insensibility.Slaughter of sheep, stunned by a "head only" method, by a lateral stab incision of the neck is unsatisfactory. In more than 14% of the animals the blood vessels were incised only on one side of the neck and in more than 30% the oesophagus was incised. The rate of bleeding was reduced in those animals stunned by a method which caused cardiac dysfunction but there was little effect on the total amount of blood lost from the carcase.The prevalence of petechial haemorrhages in the fat ("speckling") of lamb carcases was significantly increased in lambs stunned by a "head-to-Ieg" method when the forelegs were not in contact with the leg electrode.The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to humane and economic considerations.

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“…Head-only (HO) electrical stunning induces an increase in blood pressure (Kirton et al, 1978), which, when it is accompanied by strong skeletal muscle activity during the tonic and clonic phases, can lead to petechial haemorrhages and ecchymoses (often referred to as 'blood splash') in the carcass (Gregory, 2007;Vergara et al, 2005) and reduced carcass quality. In head-to-body (HB) electrical stunning, the current flows from the electrodes located on the head to a third one placed on the spinal cord, caudal to the position of the heart, thereby causing the current to pass through the heart and the spinal nerves.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrical stunning effectiveness with current levels lower than 1 A in lambs and kid goats

Llonch

Rodríguez

Casal

et al. 2015

Research in Veterinary Science

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Relationships between time of stunning and time of throat cutting and their effect on blood pressure and blood splash in lambs

Cited by 30 publications

References 3 publications

A comparison of blood loss during the Halal slaughter of lambs following Traditional Religious Slaughter without stunning, Electric Head-Only Stunning and Post-Cut Electric Head-Only Stunning

A comparison of blood loss during the Halal slaughter of lambs following Traditional Religious Slaughter without stunning, Electric Head-Only Stunning and Post-Cut Electric Head-Only Stunning

Stunning and slaughter of sheep and calves in New Zealand

Electrical stunning effectiveness with current levels lower than 1 A in lambs and kid goats

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