Welfare of horses at slaughter

Abstract

The objective of this Scientific Opinion is to assess the hazards and welfare conse-quences associated with the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The en-tire slaughter procedure, from arrival at the slaughterhouse until death, is dividedinto three phases: Phase 1 – pre-stunning, Phase 2 – stunning and Phase 3 – bleed-ing. Phase 1 includes the following processes (in chronological order): (a) arrival,(b) unloading of the animals from the vehicle, (c) lairage, (d) handling and movingto the stunning area and (e) restraint before application of the stunning method.Phase 2 encompasses the stunning methods, while Phase 3 involves the bleed-ing process (i.e. exsanguination following stunning). Stunning methods for horsesinclude penetrative captive bolt and firearms. Welfare consequences that horsesmay experience (such as handling stress, restriction of movement and injuries) andpotential hazards were identified for all the phases along with preventive and cor-rective measures. For arrival and unloading during phase 1, this Opinion refers toa previous EFSA assessment on the transport of Equidae. Animal-based measures(ABMs) to assess all identified welfare consequences are proposed. A flowchart ofABMs to assess the state of consciousness is provided to allow monitoring dur-ing the stunning and bleeding phase at three key stages ((1) between the end ofstunning and shackling, (2) during neck cutting or sticking, (3) during bleeding).Additionally, specific practices deemed unacceptable on welfare grounds arelisted