Humane Slaughter Equipment, Bolt Stunners: How They’ve Developed Over The Past 50 Years
Slaughter equipment for animals has evolved over the past 100 years yet is still a controversial issue amongst some vegetarians and animal activists. In modern society there are many methods in which to slaughter an animal, ranging from chemical (carbon dioxide) to mechanical (bolt stunners) and electrical means, all of which have their own benefits. Animal slaughter for meat is still applied ritually in certain Eastern religions such as Judaism and the Hindu faith; and although some countries such as Sweden, Iceland and Norway have banned certain forms of ritual slaughter, in May 2009 the European Parliament voted in favor of allowing ritual slaughter in the member states. The issue of human slaughter and the methods used by societies in order to eat meat is constantly evolving with new forms of humane slaughter equipment being invented all the time.
Prior to the invention of humane slaughter equipment (which became popular throughout the 20th Century in Europe) animals such as cows, sheep and goats were slaughtered by being struck over the head or ‘pole-axed’ in a brutal and imprecise manner, leading to intense suffering on the part of the animal. In 1933, the UK Labour government of James Ramsey McDonald passed the Humane Slaughter Act which required that equipment such as the humane bolt stunner be used on all cattle and calves. Steadily since that Act of Parliament animal pressure groups have fought to improve the methods of humane slaughter for all types of animals people eat for meat; but alongside such causes there are religious groups who require rights to be able to ritually slaughter their meat as the religions they follow practice such methods. The issue in how we slaughter animals for meat will continue to divide nations and people for many years to come.
The most popular method of animal slaughter in Europe and the United States is applied via the use of bolt stunners, which are also known as the captive bolt pistol, cattle gun, stunbolt gun or bolt gun. These forms of humane slaughter were essentially invented and popularised in response to the legal requirements that were happening across Europe and the United States. Other modern methods include using an electrical current through the brain of the animal prior to the actual slaughter; the shock renders the animal unable to feel pain, but it’s an apparently controversial application of humane slaughter in chickens as it leads to bone fractures, stops the flow of the birds bleeding which leads to lesser quality of meat. As you’d expect, the gas stunning method is where (most commonly mustard gas) suffocates the creatures in a relatively painless manner.
The humane slaughter method of using a bolt stunner is called percussive stunning and can be split into three types which are the penetrative, non-penetrative and free-bolt methods. The bolt stunner itself is a rod sometimes shaped like a gun or pistol, it’s made of Stainless Steel or durable plastics and has a trigger which when pulled releases the bolt or air which stuns the animal. Penetrative bolt stunners when used, actually project the bolt which enters the animals’ skull and damages the brain in a split-second so the least amount of conscious pain is felt by the creature. This is the most popular method in that although it damages the animals’ brain, the heart still beats and continues to circulate blood which is essential for quality of meat. A controversial issue with this method can be the spread of such diseases as BSE, as the intravenous bolt is used to slaughter a number of animals and thus spreads disease. The non-penetrative method is when the bolt hits the animals head but doesn’t enter the skull, merely the outside and concussing the animal into a painless state. Another type of stunning equipment is the free-bolt stunner which is used in situations where the animal can’t be contained such as in a field, the main difference from the other types of bolt stunner is that the projected bolt isn’t retractable. There is no one all-encompassing method of humane slaughter for all animals, even different types of cows require differing methods of slaughter due to the thickness of skull in various breeds.
About the Author
CM Johnson is a keen article writer on such subjects as humane slaughter equipment. Click on the following links to see more:
DIY brushes, paint brushes, bristle brushes
Bolt stunners, cable spikers, humane slaughter equipment
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