Welfare of chickens at slaughter

In your article, ‘Meat from non-stun slaughtered source "must be clearly labelled" for consumers’ (VR, September 16, 2017, vol 181, p 278), a figure of 18.5 per cent is quoted as the number of chickens killed without pre-stunning in the UK. This figure is completely inaccurate; the number slaughtered without stunning is around three per cent, a figure that has remained stable for several years. What has changed is the legislation associated with stunning, which requires that birds must be stunned to specific parameters detailed in Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) licensing, unless for religious exemption. Unfortunately, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has grouped together the number of chickens killed without stunning (3 per cent) and the number of chickens stunned pre-slaughter but not conforming to WATOK parameters for electrical stunning (15.5 per cent). The British Poultry Council firmly supports the stunning of chickens and...

Source: Veterinary Record - October 19, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Parker, D. Tags: Letters and notices Source Type: research