To construct the distribution of an individual answer, uniform distributions were assumed below and above the median with equal probability each. Finally, indicators for the state of consciousness and death were selected. However, due to the complexity of slaughtering and the limited access to animals in some of the phases (e.g. COLUMN ‘HAZARD’: in each table, the first column reports all hazards pertaining to the specific process related to slaughter; in bracket, the number of the section where each hazard is described in detail is reported. I bought The Rabbit Zinger Stun Gun about two months ago. If poor bleeding is suspected or observed after the cut, repeat cut should be performed immediately, and animals should be re‐stunned prior to repeat cut if they show signs of consciousness. The outcome tables are considered the main result of this scientific opinion, since all the collected information is presented there concisely. At slaughter, rabbits are exposed to a number of distressing situations in a short period of time. All rabbits bled during slaughter without stunning will be submitted to the hazards described below, whereas only a proportion of rabbits bled following stunning application will be submitted to them, since it concerns only failure of the process due to the following circumstances: Rabbits can remain alive when processing begins under two scenarios: In summary, animal‐based measures for heat stress are, The potential indicators for cold stress are. On the other hand, Llonch et al. Related hazards and welfare consequences (and indicators). The maximum acceleration force impacted on the head would be expected when the mass of impacting bolt is at least equivalent to that of the head and the velocity is high. 3 methods of killing a rabbit when hunting, or for survival or bushcraft.All methods are good and generally easy to learn. In the case of bleeding following stunning, only a proportion of rabbits will be exposed to hazards occurring during bleeding: those that were incorrectly stunned and still conscious and those that recover consciousness prior to death (ToR‐1). The outcome of this elicitation was graphs in which the sensitivity, specificity and ease of use of the selected indicators were shown. There is no available data on the noise level that will imply welfare consequence. When applying a higher throughput rate, staff is at risk of paying less attention to handling individual animals, and e.g. Two working group experts were included to incorporate the discussions within the working group and balance the composition of the elicitation group. Even in a well‐designed and equipped slaughter plant, training of staff is a key preventive measure to ensure the protection of animals. Ten welfare consequences were identified: consciousness, animal not dead, thermal stress (heat or cold stress), prolonged thirst, prolonged hunger, restriction of movements, pain, fear, distress and respiratory distress. The hazards identified at ‘handling’, their relevant welfare consequences and related indicators, hazards’ origins, preventive and corrective measures are reported in Table 21 (see Section 3.10.1). mushroom shaped) powered by cartridge, compressed air or spring on the frontal/parietal bones of animals and delivery of a sufficient blow to its head leads to immediate loss of consciousness due to brain concussion. A review by Buil et al. Tonic–clonic seizures: Unconscious animals show tonic–clonic seizures. Animals must be restrained only when slaughter can be performed without any delay. Rabbits are gradually rendered unconscious as brain perfusion becomes insufficient to sustain normal function. (, Profuse bleeding from the neck cut wound following neck cutting reduces after a few seconds to minor dripping. Generally, containers are placed on top of each other. These are electrical stunning, mechanical stunning with a penetrative and non‐penetrative captive bolt and gas stunning. description of the processes, identification of welfare hazards and their origin, preventive and corrective measures, welfare consequences and related indicators) on the topic of slaughter of rabbits (killing for human consumption). In the case of Phases 2 (stunning) and 3 (bleeding), namely for the assessment of the efficacy of the stunning and bleeding processes, qualitative and measurable criteria ought to be used too. The electrodes corrode over time due to repeated use, poor maintenance and lack of replacement leading to increased resistance of the current flow and localised heat generation. Poor restraint can lead to misapplication of the stunning method. Shooting of rabbits with a non‐penetrating captive bolt on the head, i.e. The OIE has decided to revise these two chapters. ), Environment, not enough ventilation in the truck, prolonged waiting time, Head righting (attempt to raise head), head shaking or after stunning. Uncertainty related to the occurrence of false‐negative and false‐positive hazards was assessed (see methodology described in Section 2.2.5). Rabbit farming for meat production is of importance worldwide, including in the EU where rabbits are the second most farmed species in terms of numbers. Processes of slaughtering to which it applies: percussive blow. According to de Jong et al. The RSPCA definition of humane killing is: ‘when an animal is either killed instantly or rendered insensible until death ensues, without pain, suffering or distress’. However, skin covering the rabbit's head can be loose in some breeds and, owing to this, and bolt may skid or slide leading to failure. Outcome tables have been prepared to summarise the main results of this opinion and include a concise presentation of all retrieved information. The number of hazards an animal can experience depends on the stunning method used. As a result, there may be methods that are applied worldwide but that are not included in the current assessment. On European average, how many of them will be recognised as unconscious by the indicator? The mandate requests to indicate suitability of stunning methods and to identify unacceptable methods in terms of welfare. In the case of bleeding following stunning, the hazards apply to conscious rabbits (due to recovery of consciousness or ineffective stunning). Via Carlo Magno 1A, 43126 They interpret these in relation to the size of the doe on a lineal scale of 1–9. For some hazards, there are no corrective measures available (e.g. Data were collected for the methods for loading, unloading, transporting, holding and slaughter. The first two figures present the toolboxes related to slaughter with stunning. Before dressing can take place the final flow chart (for indicators of death) should be applied. In general, according to the mandate, preventive and corrective measures can be grouped into two broad categories: The European Commission mandates requests to point out specific hazards related to certain types rabbits. The stocking densities found in this survey ranged from 346 cm2/kg (28.9 kg/m2) to 108 cm2/kg (92.6 kg/m2). In addition, vocalisation and spontaneous blinking can be assessed (further details about indicator selection, specificity and sensitivity are referred to in Section 3.6.2). Additionally, the absence of heartbeat and dilated pupils can be used. Rabbits will react with vocalisations, rubbing the nose with the forelimbs, headshaking and gasping (Llonch et al., 2012; Dalmau et al., 2016). Additionally, in the description of the welfare consequences, the biological effects on the animals are reported. The Conclusions and Recommendations of this scientific opinion are mainly based on the outcome tables. slaughter of rabbits (killing for human consumption), covering all parts of the slaughter process. The mandate from the EP asks EFSA to indicate the most suitable stunning and killing methods for rabbits and define indicators to assess unconsciousness and death of the animals for the stunning and bleeding phases. Outside the range of optimal ambient temperature, behavioural changes can be observed in rabbits. Under certain circumstances, not all the indicators can be used (because of low feasibility) to determine the welfare consequences (e.g. In addition, heart beat and dilated pupils can be used but they should not be relied upon solely. Some animals may be killed if the blow is too severe, which is not a welfare problem. The opinion identifies animal welfare indicators to monitor onset of death in rabbits to be applied before bleeding following slaughter with or without stunning. The restrictions that were applied in the search strings were related to the date of publication: only those published after the EFSA's opinion ‘The welfare aspects of the main systems of stunning and killing the main commercial species of Animals, 2004’ (EFSA, 2004) were considered. So we worked with food companies, governments and scientists in Brazil, China and Indonesia to encourage humane slaughter. In addition, for all three key stages, less sensitive indicators that were judged as easy to use were spontaneous blinking and vocalisation. The search was carried out in the information resources listed in Appendix A. Regarding ease of use, questions were asked on how easily the indicators are applied and checked during the stunning and slaughter process using three categories: easy, moderate and difficult (to apply). Also, vocalisation and spontaneous blinking can be included. re‐stunning the animal). In practice, this may apply to all rabbits during the pre‐stunning phase. In the first 4–6 h, weight loss in rabbits is mainly due to emptying of the gut (Lambertini et al., 2006). If you see a rabbit screaming in a video, you can be sure that they are not using a fast, humane method. Some hazards are inherent to the stunning method and cannot be avoided (e.g. When monitoring the effectiveness of stunning, it is common to look for outcomes that indicate unconsciousness. piece of design, and makes the whole process very straightforward. Similarly, it suggests indicators to confirm animals are dead before dressing. The latter two hazards can prolong consciousness and cause (respiratory) distress, pain and fear. Restraining practices vary according to the stunning method to facilitate effective application (European Commission, 2018), and the methods of restraints are described in the relevant section (Sections 3.2.1–3.2.3). To monitor stunning effectiveness as requested by the EP mandate, the opinion suggests the use of indicators for the state of consciousness, selected on the basis of their sensitivity, specificity and ease of use. (2000) reported that a minimum of 100 volts delivered using a 50 Hz sine wave alternating current for one‐second resulted in an average current of 140 mA and is sufficient to induce unconsciousness and prevent recovery of consciousness, provided the stun‐to‐stick interval is less than 10 s. For CAS stunning, a high concentration of CO2 of more than 80% is adviced to induce effective stunning that will last long enough to ensure that animals will not recover before death occurs due to bleeding (Dalmau et al., 2016). (2012) reported a higher percentage of rabbits gasping when exposed to 90% CO2 than to 80% N2 and 20% CO2 (97 vs. 42%). The answers of the experts were aggregated afterwards to construct the common uncertainty distribution. The Humane Slaughter Act, or the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act is a United States federal law designed to decrease suffering of livestock during slaughter. (early weaned rabbits) Prolonged hunger will lead to loss of body weight due to starvation. Rabbits are effectively stunned by exposure to concentrations of carbon dioxide at 70–98% and a mixture of 80% N2 and 20% CO2 (Llonch et al., 2012; Dalmau et al., 2016). One of the most important climatic components that influence the welfare of farmed animals is the ambient temperature. Rabbits can be subjected to noise in all the processes of slaughtering, but it is of main concern during pre‐stunning phase and, in particular, during the lairage because this is the stage in which the rabbits stay longest. Process of slaughtering to which it applies: bleeding following stunning (on a proportion of rabbits). The survey result was analysed for inconsistencies and summarised as preparation of a Sheffield workshop. Due to the lack of adequate description or scientific validation, a hazard analysis was not carried out for these methods, procedures or practices. by sweating or panting. In addition to ‘Rough handling of the rabbits during removal from containers’, rabbits can be subjected to ‘unexpected loud noise’ due to the various activities going on in the slaughterhouse. body condition score (does and meat rabbits, on‐farm); percentage of emaciated rabbits at the slaughter plant (meat rabbits). The study from Buil et al. A list including definitions of indicators to be used for assessing the welfare consequences has been provided in this Opinion. The search yielded a total of 53 records that were exported to an EndNote library together with the relevant metadata (e.g. The chapter on the slaughter of animals covers the following species: cattle, buffalo, bison, sheep, goats, camelids, deer, horses, pigs, ratites, rabbits and poultry (domestic birds as defined by the OIE). Rabbits should be manually restrained firmly enough to facilitate the stunning, but without excessive pressure that would cause pain and fear. Before dressing, the following indicators of death should be used: breathing, cessation of bleeding and muscle tone. They were done for each of three phases in the process: immediately following stunning, at the time of neck cutting and during bleeding. However, when considering a global perspective, the experts were 95–99% certain that at least one welfare hazard is missing (owing to the lack of documented evidence on all possible variations in the processes and methods being practiced on a worldwide scale). ** The same applied to the bleeding process which is described for the two scenarios: bleeding following slaughter with stunning and bleeding following slaughter without stunning. However, not all conscious animals will vocalise, and hence, the absence of vocalisation does not always mean that the animal is unconscious. Time of food deprivation is important because it affects animal welfare. Specific recommendations are provided for specific processes of slaughter. Based on these values, graphs were built to facilitate the selection of the most appropriate indicators according to the procedure described in Section 2.2.4.2. Against this background, EFSA received two mandates: one from the European Parliament (EP) and the other from the European Commission. Animals showing any of these signs of muscle tone must be re‐stunned using a back‐up method. Conscious animals will blink in response to the stimulus. Several factors determine the outcome of captive bolt stunning, importantly, the site and angle of shooting bolt diameter, penetration depth and bolt velocity (EFSA, 2004). In case of carbon dioxide in two phases, this could also occur due to a combination of too low CO2 concentration and too short exposure time in the first phase leading to animals arriving conscious in the second phase in which CO2 is above 40%. The following three tables present the results on indicators for electrical stunning, mechanical stunning and those to be used at the time of dressing. In fact, during the stunning and bleeding phases, rabbits are expected to be unconscious and therefore not affected by unexpected loud noises. Cartridges should be stored in a dry place according to the manufacturer's instruction. Staff training, proper restraint of the rabbit. Various indicators can be used for this. ); prolonged waiting time, Too many animals are put in the containers, Feeders removed too early on‐farm, prolonged transport and/or prolonged waiting time, Drinkers removed too early on‐farm, prolonged transport and/or prolonged waiting time. These include, for example, the position of the animal relative to the assessor, the assessor's access to the animal and the line speed. Their results also suggested that, when the temperature changes according to circadian cycles, animals are able to predict the increment of temperature, and they increase some important activities (e.g. The workshop was held on 9 and 10 April 2019 with eight external experts that had previously participated to the online survey mentioned above. Regarding sensitivity and specificity, the use of indicators of consciousness can be regarded in the same way as the use of a diagnostic test with either a positive or negative outcome. A good design, layout and construction of the plant is considered a prerequisite to safeguard the welfare of rabbits. They are presented below, with reference to the original requests in the EP and EC mandates. After loss of consciousness, animals will show suppressed or non‐rhythmic breathing. The hazards lead to welfare consequences. Therefore, staff training and rotation, use of appropriate wide opening container are the most effective preventive measure. Since there is haemorrhage, there will be reduced blood supply and, in this situation, the brain could be starved of oxygen and unconsciousness would be sustained. It is recommended that on farm withdrawal plus duration of transportation plus lairage time, should not exceed 12 h. This can be achieved by planning carefully these phases and schedule and prioritise slaughtering of animals. Nakyinsige et al. Since rabbits are conscious during slaughter, the risk of suffering increases in three respects: a) restraint, b) incision of the neck and c) gradual onset of unconsciousness and death. The gas concentration is too low to render all rabbits unconscious within the exposure time or to prevent recovery of consciousness during bleeding. Restraining for head‐only electrical stunning is manual and involves holding the rabbit with one hand supporting its belly, and the other hand guides the head into the stunning tongs or electrodes by holding its ears. Uneven floors and faulty or poorly maintained equipment, such as forklifts, used in the movement of containers are prone to tipping or tilting of containers, potentially resulting in serious welfare consequences. A potential problem is that the ears may get in the way and hinder the delivery of an effective blow. It supports taking the decision whether animals can be dressed, or whether the operator should wait longer as the animal is not dead yet. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and revise the values for sensitivity, specificity and ease of use of the indicators obtained by the survey. Body condition scoring is slightly more sophisticated and de Jong et al., 2011 report two scoring systems under development. If no indicator suggests consciousness, i.e. killing animals for human consumption, other types of killing i.e. Fasting affects the feeling of hunger, and therefore animal welfare. No convulsions occurred when rabbits were sensible’. Similarly, it suggests indicators to confirm animals are dead before dressing. This is due to the lack of documented evidence on all possible variations in the processes and methods being practiced on a worldwide scale (see Interpretation of ToRs on the criteria for selection of stunning/killing methods to be included). The opinion describes all stunning methods for rabbits which have been practiced on a commercial scale: electrical stunning, mechanical stunning with a penetrative and non‐penetrative captive bolt and gas stunning. It is caused for example by: too low voltage to generate sufficient current to achieve an effective stun, frequency too high to cause immediate unconsciousness, high electrical resistance of the rabbits in the system that prevents the current flow through the brain of the rabbits to cause immediate unconsciousness. Finally, outcome tables that concisely link all the elements requested by the ToRs (identification of welfare hazards, origin, preventive and corrective measures, welfare consequences and related indicators) for each process in the slaughter of rabbits were produced. It applies: lairage rabbits voluntary huddle ( de Jong et al., 1998 2000... Contraction of the key Points for the minimal/maximal value of the common judgement as evidence increased. 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