Acta Vet. Brno 2021, 90: 109-116
The effect of slaughtering skills on the welfare of cattle during stunning with a captive bolt
The performance of stunning in various abattoirs can differ. The aim of the study was to compare the stunning of cattle with a captive bolt in two abattoirs. We monitored the slaughtering skills by measuring the deviation of the location of the stunning shot hole on the skull from the ideal point and further by measuring the angle of inclination of the stunning shot on the skull from the ideal perpendicular angle. We observed the impact of different slaughter skills on the quality of stunning of animals based on the occurrence of failure to achieve motor paralysis after a stun shot. The failure to collapse occurred significantly more frequently (P < 0.05) in abattoir A than in abattoir B. In both abattoirs there was a higher (P < 0.05) number of bulls failing to collapse than in females (cows and heifers). However, the effect of slaughter skills on the occurrence of signs associated with insufficient stunning was not found. The signs occurred in abattoir A and abattoir B to the same extent. In bulls, the number of animals with signs was higher (P < 0.05) than in females in both abattoirs. The results show that insufficient proficiency of skills in stunning cattle with a captive bolt leads to a higher number of animals failing to collapse after a stun shot. The effect of slaughter skills on the occurrence of signs in bulls and females was not proven; however, in bulls a higher incidence of signs was demonstrated than in females.
