Guidelines for humane handling, transport and slaughter of

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Guidelines for humane handling, transport and slaughter of livestock
The standard method for the bleeding of cattle is to open the
skin at the neck between brisket and jaw through a 30-cm
longitudinal cut. Then, for hygienic reasons, a clean knife should be
used and inserted at a 45 ◦ angle (Fig. 75) in order to sever the jugular
and carotid vessels.
In pigs, a longitudinal bleeding stick is made into the chest to
sever the deep vessels (Fig. 76).
For all cuts, the jugular and carotid vessels should be
completely severed. If all vessels are not cut, bleeding may be
incomplete, causing excessive retention of blood in the tissue, which
can result in early spoilage of meat.
A minimum of delay is required between stunning and
bleeding for two reasons:
a. A prolonged delay in bleeding may result in a level of
consciousness being regained particularly where animals
have been stunned electrically. For example, poultry
stunned electrically may regain consciousness within 1-3
minutes. Generally, bleeding of poultry should
commence within 15 seconds of stunning. For other
livestock, the interval between stunning and
sticking/bleeding should also be kept very short. Periods
of less than one minute are desirable (Fig. 77).
b. Delayed bleeding will result in an increase of blood
pressure, and blood vessels will rupture, causing muscle
haemorrhage. This extra blood in the tissue will cause
the meat to decompose more quickly, resulting in waste
of meat.