Determining Candidate Hypobaric Hypoxia Profiles for Humane Killing of Laboratory Mice.

Millions of mice are used annually in scientific research and must be humanely killed. Despite significant welfare concerns, carbon dioxide exposure remains the most common killing method, primarily because there is no practical and humane alternative. We explored whether hypobaric hypoxia gradual decompression could induce a non-recovery state in anesthetized male C57BL/6 and Balb/c laboratory mice.

Welfare assessment of novel on-farm killing methods for poultry.

There is a need for novel mechanical devices for dispatching poultry on farm following the introduction of EU Regulation (EC) no. 1099/2009 On the Protection of Animals at the Time of Killing. We examined three novel mechanical killing devices: Modified Armadillo, Modified Rabbit Zinger, a novel mechanical cervical dislocation device; and traditional manual cervical dislocation.

Erratum: Martin, J.E., et al. Welfare Risks of Repeated Application of On-Farm Killing Methods for Poultry. 2018, , 39.

The authors wish to make the following correction to their paper[...

Welfare Risks of Repeated Application of On-Farm Killing Methods for Poultry.

Council Regulation (EC) no. 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing restricts the use of manual cervical dislocation in poultry on farms in the European Union (EU) to birds weighing up to 3 kg and 70 birds per person per day. However, few studies have examined whether repeated application of manual cervical dislocation has welfare implications and whether these are dependent on individual operator skill or susceptibility to fatigue.

On Farm Evaluation of a Novel Mechanical Cervical Dislocation Device for Poultry.

Urgent development of alternative on-farm killing methods for poultry is required following the number restrictions placed on the use of traditional manual cervical dislocation by European Legislation (EU 1099/2009). Alternatives must be proven to be humane and, crucially, practical in commercial settings with multiple users. We assessed the performance and reliability of a novel mechanical cervical dislocation device (NMCD) compared to the traditional manual cervical dislocation (MCD) method.

Stunning and slaughter of ostriches.

A study of the commercial stunning and slaughter of 783 ostriches in a Republic of South African abattoir revealed that a simple ostrich handling system, combined with a leg clamp applied during stunning current flow and operated by experienced ostrich slaughtermen, resulted in a humane, efficient slaughter process. It was estimated that an electrical stunning current in excess of 400 milliamps at 50 Hz AC, applied to the head only, would prevent recovery in more than 90% of the ostriches, when bled within 60 s from the start of stunning. The identification of rhythmic breathing movements indicate the first stages of recovery and is therefore an essential diagnostic 'tool' in recognising the effectiveness of the stunning treatment.