2026-06-28T20:25:58Zhttps://docta.ucm.es/rest/oai/request

oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/1183002025-02-25T00:50:44Zcom_20.500.14352_14col_20.500.14352_15

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Nielsen, Søren Saxmose author Álvarez Sánchez, Julio author Boklund, Anette author Dippel, Sabine author Dorea, Fernanda author Figuerola, Jordi author Herskin, Mette author Miranda Chueca, Miguel Angel author Nannoni, Eleonora author Nonno, Romolo author Riber, Anja author Stahl, Karl author Stegeman, Jan Arend author Thulke, Hans-Hermann author Tuyttens, Frank author Winckler, Christoph author Raj, Mohan author Velarde, Antonio author Candiani , Denise author Van der Stede, Yves author Miche, Virginie author 2025 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 Nielsen, S. S., Alvarez, J., Boklund, A., Dippel, S., Dorea, F., Figuerola, J., Herskin, M., Miranda Chueca, M. A., Nannoni, E., Nonno, R., Riber, A., Stahl, K., Stegeman, J. A., Thulke, H.-H., Tuyttens, F., Winckler, C., Raj, M., Velarde, A., … Michel, V. (2025). Welfare of horses at slaughter. EFSA Journal, 23(1), e9178. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9178 1831-4732 10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9178 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/118300 https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9178 Welfare of horses at slaughter