Observation of Certain Parameters with Animal Welfare Consequences During the Implementation of Shechita

In Israel around 330,000 ruminants are yearly slaughtered without stunning and according to Jewish and Islamic religious requirements. The slaughters of animals may implicate a lack of standardization of some parameters which categorically have animal welfare relevance. In this survey, some parameters linked with animal welfare aspects have been monitored during the slaughtering of 125 bovines in a slaughter plant in Israel, in which only shechita, without prior stunning, was performed. Despite parameters like bellowing, struggling of animal, use of prod, time restrain to cut, quality of cut were found in line with animal welfare best practices. Notwithstanding the authors still found room for improvement relative to the number of cutting motions, severing of both carotids, unconsciousness evaluation, readiness of back-up measures in case of failures or complications. Therefore we propose that appropriate corrective/back-up measures should be introduced in current Israeli regulations and routinely implemented at the slaughter point.