Guidelines for ritual slaughter of food animals without pre-slaughter stunning

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Introduction

The licence holders who choose to conduct ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning at the establishment must fully understand all the associated animal welfare risks that can occur during the process and their responsibility in recognizing and controlling these risks, all included as part of the establishment Preventive Control Plan (PCP) for animal welfare. They remain responsible even if the person actually conducting the ritual slaughter is a contracted slaughterer and regardless that the slaughter activity itself is carried out in accordance with religious rules (Islamic or Judaic requirements).

The licence holder must take into account that properly conducted ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning takes time; this means that the operational line speed must be adjusted to allow all the preventive measures for the animal welfare risks to be carried out effectively during any part of this process.

It is the licence holder's responsibility to obtain any religious information from the appropriate religious associations (either Halal or Kosher) before starting to conduct ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning in the establishment. Furthermore, the licence holder should become thoroughly familiar with the requirements for either Halal or Judaic slaughter in order to develop effective preventive measures as part of the PCP for animal welfare.

For required outcomes under the SFCR for each regulatory provision of ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning see: Ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning

Competence, qualification and training as part of the Preventive Control Plan (PCP)

  • This written protocol should include the role and competencies expected of any employed or contracted ritual slaughterer, including evidence of the requisite qualifications/certifications for the ritual slaughterer, where applicable, from the appropriate certifying or qualifying religious organizations.
  • The written protocol must include, in accordance with SFCR 89 (1)(d):
    • preventive measures, monitoring, verification, corrective action procedures and performance criteria to assess their effectiveness
    • records of evidence of effectiveness of the PCP, as implemented by the licence holder
    • documentation or validations to support the evidence based effectiveness of the selected preventive measures and procedures
    • results of audits of the ritual slaughter conducted in the establishment (self-audits/third party audits)
    • training protocols and records:
      • for employees who handle animals and monitor the intended outcome:
        • employees are trained to know how to monitor for loss of consciousness
        • they are trained to recognize failure to lose consciousness during the bleeding stage in accordance with established performance criteria in the PCP for animal welfare
        • these competent employees will be required to immediately implement corrective action procedures, such as post-cut stunning, in the case of any problems(deviations) to prevent avoidable suffering for the individual animal
        • they understand that the corrective action procedure when a deviation occurs, never includes second cuts which means the knife must not be reintroduced into the animal's neck for another new cut (in which case, the cuts become non-fluid strokes)
        • they know that cessation of slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning is to be implemented for recurring problems until these are resolved
        • they ensure the animal is unconscious prior to suspending it using a multi-criteria monitoring of indicators signs
        • they continue to assess animals on the bleed line to ensure death prior to dressing procedures or manipulation of the wound for religious purposes
    • be reviewed and modified as needed by the licence holder to ensure its continuing effectiveness

Table of summary of key points of animal welfare risk, and recommended preventive measures as part of the PCP during ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning of mammals

Key point of animal welfare risk Examples Recommended preventive measures

Food animal (mammals)

Species, breed, age, gender, temperament, handling experience must be conducive for the outcome of a calm animal for ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning to avoid as much distress as possible to the animal or danger to people in contact with the animal

Choose for species and breed, individual temperament and most experience with human handling: animals must be docile and calm

Animals more accustomed to human contact and handling will be easier to keep calm

Handling before restraint

Animals not calm enough will not be as easily restrained for the ritual cut; this can endanger the human handlers and cause the animal distress and possible injury

Training protocol highlights the employee's ability to keep animals calm at all times using animal behaviour knowledge and competencies

Only well trained, competent, qualified employees restrain the animal

Keeping animals calm by gentle and quiet handling is a requirement for Halal and Judaic slaughter

Washing the restraint area and pen free of blood, urine and saliva (in the absence of animals) will help animals maintain secure footing and in combination with using negative air pressure directed away from the entrance to this area, will help reduce the stress pheromones secreted in this environment by other previously slaughtered animals

Washing the neck for the ritual cut should not distress the animal otherwise the animal may not remain calm.

Animal restraint (pen, conveyor, manual)

Restraint equipment that has design/construction flaws or poor maintenance can cause the animal to struggle and vocalize prior to the cut because of distress and pain

Poor access to the animal's neck because of equipment design/construction flaws or equipment location (including inadequate lighting) can hinder executing a ritual cut, in accordance with SFCR regulatory requirements

Limited ability to see the head of animals to monitor indicators can impede assessment of the animal's state of consciousness or to be able to stun the animal if necessary

An animal that is restrained for prolonged periods of time can become distressed

Manual and mechanical restraint can distress or cause injury to the animal if the animal is handled too roughly

Restraint pen or conveyor must be properly designed, constructed and maintained in good repair to optimally control movement of the animal without applying too much pressure; any parts in contact with the animal should be smooth, rounded edges

Equipment must be located in a slaughter area that is well designed for this type of process, including proper lighting to prevent balking at the pen entrance

Consider using a belly support/lift to keep the animal from falling too soon after the ritual cut to allow a longer bleeding time in the upright position

Animals are not moved into restraint equipment or manually restrained until everything is ready to minimize time animal is restrained

Head restraint

Mechanical or manual head restraint that is not optimal either because of hyperextension or too little neck tension can impede the blood flow from the wound after the ritual cut and can cause distress to the animal

Mechanical head restrainer must be properly designed and function correctly for the specific food animal species, age and size

The head of the animal should not be restrained more than 10 seconds before the ritual cut (this includes all the steps from the head restraint to the ritual cut)

Manual or mechanical restraint of the head must ensure optimum stretching and accessibility of the neck for a ritual cut, in accordance with SFCR regulatory requirements

Ritual cut (bleeding/slaughter)

Possible problems associated with the cut include:

  • inadequate knife length, sharpness and maintenance
  • Too low a cut on the neck, which can be associated with increased risks of constrictions (artery springing back into its connective sheath) or encapsulated hematomas of the carotid cut ends also called false aneurysms or ballooning effect
  • If all 4 major blood vessels are not cut because of incorrect positioning of the knife at an angle rather than a straight cut, this will not result in a perfuse blood flow and will delay the loss of consciousness

A properly placed cut in the upper 1/3 of the neck at the level of the first cervical vertebra (C1) will facilitate better blood flow by avoiding the false aneurysms; therefore this should always be included as part of the expected technique

There must be adequate room for the ritual slaughterer to access the animal's neck to make a straight cut rather than one at an angle

The technique of cutting must include the ability to execute a fluid ritual cut, with no lifting of the knife off of the neck for another cut, the use of a knife with a length at least twice the width of the animal's neck and knife maintenance for sharpness and freedom from nicks or other defects; all of these are essential qualifications/competencies for the ritual slaughterer

Post-cut management

Blood flow can be impeded if the wound is not kept open long enough because of too early release from the head restraint, especially the chin lift.

Once released from the restraint, the position of the head relative to the body can obstruct the blood flow for example, any bending of the neck that closes/covers the wound

Once released from the restraint, direct pressure on the neck with any part of the restraint pen can also obstruct blood flow for example, neck contact with the floor or side rail of the pen

The body and head restraint should be loosened slightly after the ritual cut to aid blood flow but the chin lift kept up to keep wound open

Once the animal is released completely, the operator must ensure that there are no additional impediments to the blood flow

The animal must not fall onto the restrainer edges when released from the head restrainer to prevent pain from wound and pen edge contact

Monitors of animals must understand and use the indicators correctly to ensure the animal is sufficiently unconscious for total release from restraint

Implement immediate post-cut stunning as corrective action for animals not unconscious within set performance criteria

Suspending mammalian food animals

Animals that are hoisted or shackled while still conscious will experience fear, distress and pain

Monitors of animals must understand and use the indicators correctly to ensure the animal is unconscious before hoisting

Implement immediate post-cut stunning as corrective action for an animal not unconscious within set performance criteria or exhibiting any signs of distress or any signs of suffering before suspending it

Signs of distress or suffering include panic, mouth movements for vocalizing efforts, bulging eyes, trying to regain sternal/upright position

Include 0 tolerance as performance criteria for animals still conscious after suspension on the slaughter shackle line; stun such animals immediately

Dressing procedures

(Includes wound manipulation and extra cuts for religious purposes)

Animals that are still conscious and alive while on the shackle rail, are at risk of any dressing procedure that will cause suffering

Include 0 tolerance as performance criteria for animals still alive on the slaughter shackle line

Stun immediately and wait until the animal is dead

Do a root cause analysis to determine how these unacceptable events happened before continuing and to avoid their recurrence

Restraint and restraint equipment for Halal or Kosher ritual slaughter for domestic mammals

  • Effective restraint systems and equipment include:
    • secure footing to prevent slips and falls
    • animals entering without coercion to prevent animal becoming excessively excited or agitated:
      • use animal behaviour techniques instead of driving tools to keep animal calm
      • avoid noises, lighting or odours which could distract the animal
    • animals are held forward by a pusher or a similar restraining device to prevent the animal from backing up or moving too much
    • a mechanical neck restrainer, forehead bracket and chin lift, or similar device, which:
      • applies only moderate pressure
      • avoids excessive dorsal neck bend (hyperextension)
    • smooth, quiet operation that minimizes stressful noises and movements to keep animal calm such as:
      • no jerky movements
      • no hissing or loud noises
    • since the restraint equipment is to apply optimal pressure or restraint without causing distress, injury or pain to the animal, the pressure controls from mechanical restraint devices should be easily and efficiently controlled by the employee at all times
    • designed to allow:
      • animals to be easily monitored for rapid loss of consciousness, specifically, the head is accessible and visible close up and fully accessible for stunning as well when required
      • safe and rapid stunning when required, such as, the animal is not unconscious within set performance criteria or animal is exhibiting any signs of distress
  • Upright restraint for ritual slaughter is the most humane method for most animals.
    • Effective and humane upright restraint systems are available for all ruminants for example:
      • the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) pen for cattle
      • upright conveyor systems can be adapted for small calves, sheep and goats
      • sheep and goats can be ritually slaughtered when restrained on their sides lying down, as long as they do not exhibit any signs of distress
      • inverting fully conscious animals for ritual slaughter can cause considerable distress and fear for all animals, caused, for example, by aspiration of rumen fluids (ruminants) and compression of internal thoracic organs inhibiting respiration, especially in adult bovines, steers and heavy calves
      • a conscious, un-stunned rabbit must be manually restrained in its natural upright position to perform the ritual cut since rabbits can panic easily and can then injure themselves by fracturing their backs from kicking with their powerful hind legs

Ritual slaughter cut

  • First of all and foremost, the ritual cut of the animal's neck must be skillfully made for rapid bleeding and rapid onset of unconsciousness.
  • Slaughter is performed by a single stroke or a continuous back and forward movement of the knife for adult bovines, steers and heavy calves, as required to push the knife deeper:
    • it must be done without any interruptions or hesitation
    • for adult bovines, steers and heavy calves, the continuous cut may include several fluid sliding movements of the knife without any interruption, hesitation, stabbing with the knife or lifting of the knife off the animal's neck during the entire cut:
      • three movements for these animals are not uncommon
      • the anatomy, size of the animal, thickness of coat or heavy neck skin folds, width of neck and type of restraint can affect the number of continuous back and forth movements required to complete the ritual cut
      • these factors must be considered when assessing a ritual cut
      • more continuous movements may be required on occasion in individual cases but should not be considered as routine
      • above all, the knife blade sharpness and length, as well as restraint technique, are the key components for correctly conducting ritual slaughter
    • both carotids and the internal and external jugular veins must be cut together with the same fluid cut or back and forth continuous movements in accordance with regulatory requirements of the SFCR
    • the knife should be at least twice as long as the animal's neck width and exquisitely sharp for each animal:
      • the knife should be tested on a regular basis to ensure its sharpness by, for example,
        • dangling a piece of paper by a corner with a thumb and forefinger and with the other hand cutting it with the knife through the edge of the paper smoothly and effortlessly
    • the knife should not have any nicks or any other imperfections that might cause tissue tearing and pain

Signs of unconsciousness or death in mammalian food animals in ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning

Since there is a gradual loss of consciousness from progressive anoxia during ritual slaughter rather than immediate loss of consciousness, as occurs for some methods of stunning, this can complicate the assessment of unconsciousness prior to hoisting and death for the following reasons:

  • there can be a wide range of individual variation in onset of unconsciousness without pre-slaughter stunning depending on the species, size, age, gender and state of excitability of the animal, for example:
    • adult bovines, steers, heifers and heavy calves, sometimes regain the standing position briefly due to transient physiological adjustments before permanent loss of posture (LOP); this must be addressed by immediately stunning the animal as it prolongs the loss of consciousness unacceptably
      • the vertebral arteries may continue to supply blood to the brain since they are not cut during ritual slaughter
      • the formation of carotid occlusions can slow bleeding down
      • physiological mechanisms are activated to try to increase blood circulation to the brain as part of the physiological shock response, such as peripheral vasoconstriction, tachycardia and hyperventilation
    • in addition, adult bovines, steers and heavy calves have at times demonstrated slower bleed-out rates than smaller ruminants:
      • these bovines' brains are proportionately smaller by weight than smaller ruminants, requiring less of the total blood volume to perfuse the brain; this may allow consciousness to persist longer during blood loss in these bovines
      • the carotid arteries of these bovines are proportionally small with respect to total blood volume resulting in slower bleeding times and less rapid blood pressure losses compared to smaller sized ruminants
    • on the other hand, brains of younger animals have been demonstrated to resist the effects of anoxia longer, with a resulting prolongation in consciousness
    • calves have more elastic arteries which can put them at risk for more occlusions
  • there can be other signs associated with progressive anoxia, such as unintentional limb or neck movement, convulsions and muscle fasciculation (skin twitching):
    • these signs may complicate the assessment for unconsciousness such as the righting reflex which is used for post-stunning assessment and may be difficult to distinguish from unintentional limb/neck movements that can occur with progressive anoxia
    • muscle fasciculation or involuntary contractions of muscles under the skin may be observable as twitching or rippling movements and can occur with progressive anoxia and should not be confused with breathing when visible in the flank area
  • moreover, there exists a transition zone (so-called grey zone) where intermediate states of consciousness exist resulting in a lack of clear cut distinctions between consciousness and unconsciousness

In view of these complicating factors for this type of slaughter, a careful and multi-criteria approach for the evaluation of the indicator signs, starting from the moment the food animal is in the restrainer and ritually slaughtered, until it is dead, is required to prevent avoidable individual animal suffering.

Table of recommended indicator signs for monitoring (those with higher predictive values)

Indicator signs to assess whether animal is still conscious

The absence of any of these indicators is not a reliable assessment for unconsciousness

 Indicator signs to assess whether animal is unconsciousness

Standing posture (should not persist longer than 30 – 40 seconds for adult bovines, steers and heavy calves; 10 – 15 seconds for small ruminants, including small calves, as well as for rabbits)

Tongue stiff and curled

Vocalizing movements

Spontaneous blinking (especially in combination with eye tracking movements)

Threat reflex

Absence of rhythmic breathing (2 or more regular rib movements in and out)

Absence of palpebral reflex (after 3 consecutive negative results, 20 seconds apart)

Absence of corneal reflex (after 3 consecutive negative results, 20 seconds apart)

Other useful indicators for monitoring for assessment of unconsciousness include:

  • rolling back of eyes may occur with loss of standing posture (LOP)
  • absence of muscle tone of jaw and body
  • blank stare with dilated pupil, centrally located
  • absence of eyelash or eyelid reflex
  • absence of response to pinch test (ear, nasal septum) although has lower predictive value compared to indicators in the table

Indicators to assess whether the animal is dead include:

  • blank stare
  • dilated pupils
  • absence of corneal reflex (after 3 consecutive negative results, 20 seconds apart)
  • cessation of breathing, including terminal gasping
  • cessation of active bleeding from the wound (may still drip)

Stunning as a corrective action procedure

  • Since ritual slaughter does not result in instantaneous unconsciousness:
    • best practices for post-cut management includes that the animal must be stunned if:
      • it does not collapse within a specified time limit set by the licence holder in the PCP, based on recognized standards/performance criteria; otherwise a validation of alternative
      • standards/performance criteria is required as evidence of effectiveness
      • it does exhibit continuing signs of consciousness or distress based on a collective assessment of indicator signs
      • if any doubt exists, the operator must take the appropriate measures for the individual animal to ensure it progresses towards a state of insensibility as rapidly as possible, such as using post-cut stunning

Ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning of birds

  • the licence holder's PCP must include the following preventive measures, procedures and information:
    • the monitoring of humane handling, the sensibility of the animal, the effectiveness of ritual slaughter, and the corrective actions to take when required
    • as with ruminants, there will be better welfare when birds are calm prior to slaughter; therefore this should be emphasized in the written procedures for humane handling of the birds
    • ritual slaughter for birds is performed by a single stroke, resulting in rapid, simultaneous, and complete severance of both carotid arteries and the jugular veins for rapid blood flow
    • for birds, unconsciousness should occur within 15 seconds post-cut for proper ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning
    • It is not permitted to shackle fully conscious birds as a means of mechanical restraint for slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning in Canadian federally regulated establishments
    • before the cut, best practice is for a person to hold the bird while the slaughterer performs the ritual cut
    • after the cut, birds should be held or placed in cones appropriate for the species, size and weight of bird, until they lose sensibility prior to shackling to ensure unimpeded blood flow because retraction of the head or neck may slow down the blood flow
    • for birds, the corrective action procedure for failure to lose consciousness rapidly may include rapid decapitation of the individual bird

Signs of unconsciousness/death for birds in ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning

  • Signs of unconsciousness may include:
    • no observed spontaneous blinking
    • no observable rhythmic breathing (observe the cloaca area)
    • limp neck and head
    • no righting reflex
    • no beak movements (opening and closing movements)
  • Signs of death of birds after ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning include:
    • permanent cessation of breathing (observe the abdomen)
    • absence of corneal or palpebral reflex
    • presence of dilated pupils
    • relaxed body of the bird (limp carcass)
    • cessation of bleeding from the cut carotid arteries and jugular veins

Birds may be suspended when assessed at least as unconscious but must be assessed to be dead prior to scalding; at least a 90 second bleed-out time prior to scalding is recommended.

Birds not considered eligible for ritual slaughter by the ritual slaughterman

  • The license holder's PCP must include a written protocol for humane handling of birds that are determined by the ritual slaughterman to be not acceptable for ritual slaughter.
    • These rejected birds can be humanely killed using an accepted method, such as rapid decapitation.

Suitability of food animal species for ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning

  • Ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning requires special conditions for restraint to prevent the animal from moving too much in order to allow the ritual slaughterman to make the ritual neck cut, and at the same time, the animal remains as calm and motionless as possible.
  • The animal for ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning should be of a species or temperament or nature that can more easily be kept calm during restraint of ritual slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning to prevent any avoidable suffering to the animal or danger to the employees due to the animal's unpredictable and possibly aggressive behaviour.
  • Food animals that have been traditionally ritually slaughtered without pre-slaughter stunning include, domesticated bovine, caprine, ovine breeds and domesticated bird species and rabbits.
    • These food animals may be generally easier to keep calm during the slaughter process, depending on level and experience of human handling throughout their lives and depending on their inherent temperaments.
  • Farmed wild food animals such as bison, water buffalo, all cervids, yak, rheas, ostrich and emus may retain more wild animal behaviour traits and therefore behave more unpredictably.
    • In general these farmed wild food animals are less suitable than traditionally domesticated food animals for slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning.
    • Because of the additional animal welfare and employee risks during handling of farmed game animals, these animals should not be slaughtered without pre-slaughter stunning at any time.
  • Horses are easily panicked when attempting to restrain the head and are never considered suitable animals for slaughter without pre-slaughter stunning.

Ritual slaughter with routine prior or post-cut stunning

Routine stunning, either prior or immediately post-cut, should be encouraged whenever possible for ritual slaughter.

When post-cut stunning is part of the protocol for ritual slaughter, best practices are that it is conducted immediately (within seconds) after the ritual cut, prior to collapse.

The landmarks and requirements for humane stunning, either done prior or post-cut, are the same as when used prior to cutting and bleeding in conventional slaughter with stunning. Stunning, when done for ritual slaughter, must be carried out in accordance with the regulations and the policies for stunning requirements and best practices at all times.

References and additional information

CFIA References and additional information

CFIA Regulatory requirements for humane treatment of food animals during slaughtering activities under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
CFIA guidelines of best practices

Additional References and information

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