and include the following information in your message: • Your contact details • Bibliographic det... more and include the following information in your message: • Your contact details • Bibliographic details for the item, including a URL • An outline of the nature of the complaint On receipt of your message the Open Access Team will immediately investigate your claim, make an initial judgement of the validity of the claim and, where appropriate, withdraw the item in question from public view.
The maintenance of head-only minimum stunning currents for sheep to ≥ 1.0 Amp as per current legi... more The maintenance of head-only minimum stunning currents for sheep to ≥ 1.0 Amp as per current legislation was examined in two trials in a commercial abattoir. In the first trial, a Jetco MS100 stunner failed to maintain the current to > 1.0 Amp in 118 of the 228 sheep. In a second trial, a Jetco MS105 delivered sufficient current in all sheep (n = 275) to meet the legislative requirement, apart from a single animal. Recorded electrocardiograms showed a regular heartbeat, with no evidence of ventricular fibrillation, in all animals in both trials following stunning and neck-cut. Only one of the two stun units may therefore be considered to meet the statutory requirements but both may meet the requirements for halal slaughter where pre-stun is considered acceptable.
The experiment aimed to map the changes in time of commonly used indices of short term stress in ... more The experiment aimed to map the changes in time of commonly used indices of short term stress in pigs in response to a short term stressor followed by recovery and also to investigate differences in response between individuals. Four pigs were individually driven up and down a ramp and then allowed to recover, on each of three days. Before, during and after being driven measurements of packed cell volume, plasma cortisol, glucose, beta-endorphin, lactate, creatine phosphokinase and heart rate were made. All of the parameters measured changed in response to the treatment in the manner predicted from theory. The graphs shown in the text provide a useful guide to the rise time and the fall time of parameters commonly used in experiments designed to assess animal welfare and also show that some of these parameters are more uniform in the way in which they change over time than others. At the same time the results highlighted that there were readily observable differences between the response of individual animals.
Multi-bird water bath stunning is the only method permitted for stunning broilers in halal plants... more Multi-bird water bath stunning is the only method permitted for stunning broilers in halal plants in the UK. The electrocardiogram (ECG) was measured in broilers that were stunned electrically in a commercial water bath using four of the frequency/current parameters permitted under EU Regulation (1099/2009) plus a control treatment (pulsed DC waveform). The results showed that there were no differences between the treatments in that all the birds displayed a rhythmic heart beat following stunning and before slaughter. An opportunity to observe recovery in a small number of broilers (nine) in a Spanish processing plant suggested that AC at 1000 Hz applied at 200 mA per bird would also meet both the legislative requirements and the needs of the halal market, in that all birds recovered from the stun.
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972), 1993
Many reports have examined the effect of subjecting animals to stress and a variety of physiologi... more Many reports have examined the effect of subjecting animals to stress and a variety of physiological indices have been used to monitor their responses. The indices are often only measured at one point in time and compared to resting levels. Problems could arise in interpretation of the results especially where there is little or no information on the time course of response. This work examined the pattern or response of various indices to the stress of negotiating a loading ramp.Four pigs of approximately 60 kg live weight were surgically prepared and indwelling catheters placed in both jugular veins. The animals were allowed to recover for three days and to become accustomed to the blood sampling procedure before the experiment. The pigs were driven individually up a 2.44m long ramp which was set at an angle of 34° lo the horizontal, the maximum allowed under UK legislation for internal vehicle ramps (Transport of Animals (Road and Rail) Order, 1975). Nine blood samples were remove...
The epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathyin the United Kingdom and the recognition of a va... more The epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathyin the United Kingdom and the recognition of a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prompted revision of the guidelines for slaughter of cattle and sheep to prevent contamination of the edible parts of the carcass with central nervous system tissue. We previously showed that captive bolt gun stunning, which is routinely used for the slaughter of cattle and sheep, causes entry of fragments of central nervous system tissue into the jugular vein. To determine whether such tissue can traverse pulmonary capillaries to enter the systemic circulation, we introduced small volumes of brain tissue that had been disrupted by stunning with a captive bolt gun into the jugular vein of sheep sent for slaughter. We examined aortic blood samples by immunocytochemistry for neurofilament and S100 proteins and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for glial fibrillary acidic protein and found fragments of neurofilament- and S100-immunopositive central nerv...
The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old ... more The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old breaks in end-of-lay hens housed in a variety of system designs and identify the important risk factors. Sixty-seven flocks housed in eight broad subcategories were assessed at the end of the production period. Within each flock, the presence of keel fractures was determined and the tibia, humerus and keel bones dissected for measurement of breaking strength. For each house, variations in internal design and perching provision were categorised and the effective heights of the differing structures recorded. All systems were associated with alarmingly high levels of keel damage although variation in mean prevalence between systems was evident with flocks housed in furnished cages having the lowest prevalence (36 per cent) despite also having significantly weaker bones and flocks housed in all systems equipped with multilevel perches showing the highest levels of damage (over 80 per cent) and the highest severity scores.
EXPERIMENTAL strain typing of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (VCJD) has shown that the transmi... more EXPERIMENTAL strain typing of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (VCJD) has shown that the transmissible agent respon-sible for this disorder is identical to that in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), providing further evidence to support the hypothesis that exposure to the BSE ...
This study investigated the effect of exsanguination without prior stunning, or carbon dioxide na... more This study investigated the effect of exsanguination without prior stunning, or carbon dioxide narcosis followed by exsanguination, or percussive stunning or spiking the brain, on the time taken to abolish the visual evoked responses (VERS) of farmed Atlantic salmon. Only percussive stunning and spiking killed the fish immediately and the other two methods resulted in aversive reactions by the fish. The VERS were lost between 148 and 440 seconds after exsanguination without stunning, and between 300 and 554 seconds after carbon dioxide narcosis followed by exsanguination. During both these procedures the fish showed strong aversive behaviour. In contrast, percussive stunning and spiking the brain could result in the immediate loss of VERS and no aversive reactions from the fish if the stun was applied correctly.
ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or exter... more ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or external microbial contamination of meat, experimental animals (lambs) were inoculated with a marker organisms (nalidixic acid resistant Escherichia coli K12 or Pseudomonas fluorescens) into the brain through the stun wound immediately after stunning by a cartridge-operated, penetrative captive bolt pistol. After the animals were slaughtered and dressed, the marker organisms were found, on average, in blood and liver of 90% animals, lungs and spleen of 80%, lymph nodes of 30%, in deep muscle of 20% and on carcass surface of 50% of brain-inoculated animals. When the pistol which had been used to stun one brain-inoculated lamb was used to stun consecutive, non-inoculated lambs, the marker organisms were found, on average, in stun wounds of 100%, in blood of 30% and on the carcass surface of 40% consecutively stunned animals. No marker organisms were detected in their muscle or organs. When the stun spot on the surface of the head of some lambs was inoculated with marker organism and subsequently stunned through the same spot, the marker organism was detected in the air, on hands, and aprons of the worker in the stunning area. Overall, the results from this study indicate that penetrative stunning of food animals can carry risks of internal and/or external microbial contamination of edible tissues and organs.
The effects of head-to-back electrical stunning on the incidence of post-stunning reflex activity... more The effects of head-to-back electrical stunning on the incidence of post-stunning reflex activity and cortical evoked responses were investigated in sheep. The stuns were effective in terms of inducing epileptiform activity and they resulted in cardiac fibrillation which ensured that there was no recovery of consciousness. Even though the corneal reflex and respiratory gasps were present, in 10 out of 12 sheep there were no concomitant visual and somatosensory evoked responses following a stun. In the remaining two, the responses were rudimentary and it would be unwise to conclude that the animals were conscious. It is suggested that brain stem reflexes following this stunning method should not be relied on as indices of recovery. The results support the view that an electrical stunning method which induces cardiac fibrillation results in improved animal welfare.
Sixty-one calves were electrically stunned with 100-250 V currents (103-1806 mA) and the prevalen... more Sixty-one calves were electrically stunned with 100-250 V currents (103-1806 mA) and the prevalence and duration of insensibility was assessed from their physical behaviour, the presence of epileptiform activity in their electrocorticograms, and the absence of visual evoked responses in their electrocorticograms. A current applied at 100 V across the head for 3 s failed to induce insensibility in all cases. Currents at 150-250 V induced insensibility in all calves and the shortest duration of insensibility was 44 s. It is recommended that a 150-200 V current would be appropriate for commercial use.
ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or exter... more ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or external microbial contamination of meat, experimental animals (lambs) were inoculated with a marker organisms (nalidixic acid resistant Escherichia coli K12 or Pseudomonas fluorescens) into the brain through the stun wound immediately after stunning by a cartridge-operated, penetrative captive bolt pistol. After the animals were slaughtered and dressed, the marker organisms were found, on average, in blood and liver of 90% animals, lungs and spleen of 80%, lymph nodes of 30%, in deep muscle of 20% and on carcass surface of 50% of brain-inoculated animals. When the pistol which had been used to stun one brain-inoculated lamb was used to stun consecutive, non-inoculated lambs, the marker organisms were found, on average, in stun wounds of 100%, in blood of 30% and on the carcass surface of 40% consecutively stunned animals. No marker organisms were detected in their muscle or organs. When the stun spot on the surface of the head of some lambs was inoculated with marker organism and subsequently stunned through the same spot, the marker organism was detected in the air, on hands, and aprons of the worker in the stunning area. Overall, the results from this study indicate that penetrative stunning of food animals can carry risks of internal and/or external microbial contamination of edible tissues and organs.
The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old ... more The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old breaks in end-of-lay hens housed in a variety of system designs and identify the important risk factors. Sixty-seven flocks housed in eight broad subcategories were assessed at the end of the production period. Within each flock, the presence of keel fractures was determined and the tibia, humerus and keel bones dissected for measurement of breaking strength. For each house, variations in internal design and perching provision were categorised and the effective heights of the differing structures recorded. All systems were associated with alarmingly high levels of keel damage although variation in mean prevalence between systems was evident with flocks housed in furnished cages having the lowest prevalence (36 per cent) despite also having significantly weaker bones and flocks housed in all systems equipped with multilevel perches showing the highest levels of damage (over 80 per cent) and the highest severity scores.
High voltage head-to-back electrical stunning can induce vertebral compression fractures, blood s... more High voltage head-to-back electrical stunning can induce vertebral compression fractures, blood splash and poor meat quality in pigs. This experiment was designed to determine the optimum position of the rear electrode which would not only stun and kill pork and bacon weight pigs with a 1·3 A 50 Hz sinewave but would also produce a good carcass with desirable meat quality. Although there was a trend for less breaks to occur the further forward the rear electrode was positioned, there was no position which gave 100% cardiac fibrillation and an absence of breaks. The incidence of blood splash, muscle haemorrhages and the variations in meat colour were not related to electrode position and fell in the 'normal' range quoted by other workers. The severity and incidence of kicking after stunning was reduced the more caudal the electrode position. This was in direct contrast to the effect on compression fractures where a reduction was seen with the more rostral applications.
and include the following information in your message: • Your contact details • Bibliographic det... more and include the following information in your message: • Your contact details • Bibliographic details for the item, including a URL • An outline of the nature of the complaint On receipt of your message the Open Access Team will immediately investigate your claim, make an initial judgement of the validity of the claim and, where appropriate, withdraw the item in question from public view.
The maintenance of head-only minimum stunning currents for sheep to ≥ 1.0 Amp as per current legi... more The maintenance of head-only minimum stunning currents for sheep to ≥ 1.0 Amp as per current legislation was examined in two trials in a commercial abattoir. In the first trial, a Jetco MS100 stunner failed to maintain the current to > 1.0 Amp in 118 of the 228 sheep. In a second trial, a Jetco MS105 delivered sufficient current in all sheep (n = 275) to meet the legislative requirement, apart from a single animal. Recorded electrocardiograms showed a regular heartbeat, with no evidence of ventricular fibrillation, in all animals in both trials following stunning and neck-cut. Only one of the two stun units may therefore be considered to meet the statutory requirements but both may meet the requirements for halal slaughter where pre-stun is considered acceptable.
The experiment aimed to map the changes in time of commonly used indices of short term stress in ... more The experiment aimed to map the changes in time of commonly used indices of short term stress in pigs in response to a short term stressor followed by recovery and also to investigate differences in response between individuals. Four pigs were individually driven up and down a ramp and then allowed to recover, on each of three days. Before, during and after being driven measurements of packed cell volume, plasma cortisol, glucose, beta-endorphin, lactate, creatine phosphokinase and heart rate were made. All of the parameters measured changed in response to the treatment in the manner predicted from theory. The graphs shown in the text provide a useful guide to the rise time and the fall time of parameters commonly used in experiments designed to assess animal welfare and also show that some of these parameters are more uniform in the way in which they change over time than others. At the same time the results highlighted that there were readily observable differences between the response of individual animals.
Multi-bird water bath stunning is the only method permitted for stunning broilers in halal plants... more Multi-bird water bath stunning is the only method permitted for stunning broilers in halal plants in the UK. The electrocardiogram (ECG) was measured in broilers that were stunned electrically in a commercial water bath using four of the frequency/current parameters permitted under EU Regulation (1099/2009) plus a control treatment (pulsed DC waveform). The results showed that there were no differences between the treatments in that all the birds displayed a rhythmic heart beat following stunning and before slaughter. An opportunity to observe recovery in a small number of broilers (nine) in a Spanish processing plant suggested that AC at 1000 Hz applied at 200 mA per bird would also meet both the legislative requirements and the needs of the halal market, in that all birds recovered from the stun.
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972), 1993
Many reports have examined the effect of subjecting animals to stress and a variety of physiologi... more Many reports have examined the effect of subjecting animals to stress and a variety of physiological indices have been used to monitor their responses. The indices are often only measured at one point in time and compared to resting levels. Problems could arise in interpretation of the results especially where there is little or no information on the time course of response. This work examined the pattern or response of various indices to the stress of negotiating a loading ramp.Four pigs of approximately 60 kg live weight were surgically prepared and indwelling catheters placed in both jugular veins. The animals were allowed to recover for three days and to become accustomed to the blood sampling procedure before the experiment. The pigs were driven individually up a 2.44m long ramp which was set at an angle of 34° lo the horizontal, the maximum allowed under UK legislation for internal vehicle ramps (Transport of Animals (Road and Rail) Order, 1975). Nine blood samples were remove...
The epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathyin the United Kingdom and the recognition of a va... more The epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalopathyin the United Kingdom and the recognition of a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prompted revision of the guidelines for slaughter of cattle and sheep to prevent contamination of the edible parts of the carcass with central nervous system tissue. We previously showed that captive bolt gun stunning, which is routinely used for the slaughter of cattle and sheep, causes entry of fragments of central nervous system tissue into the jugular vein. To determine whether such tissue can traverse pulmonary capillaries to enter the systemic circulation, we introduced small volumes of brain tissue that had been disrupted by stunning with a captive bolt gun into the jugular vein of sheep sent for slaughter. We examined aortic blood samples by immunocytochemistry for neurofilament and S100 proteins and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for glial fibrillary acidic protein and found fragments of neurofilament- and S100-immunopositive central nerv...
The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old ... more The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old breaks in end-of-lay hens housed in a variety of system designs and identify the important risk factors. Sixty-seven flocks housed in eight broad subcategories were assessed at the end of the production period. Within each flock, the presence of keel fractures was determined and the tibia, humerus and keel bones dissected for measurement of breaking strength. For each house, variations in internal design and perching provision were categorised and the effective heights of the differing structures recorded. All systems were associated with alarmingly high levels of keel damage although variation in mean prevalence between systems was evident with flocks housed in furnished cages having the lowest prevalence (36 per cent) despite also having significantly weaker bones and flocks housed in all systems equipped with multilevel perches showing the highest levels of damage (over 80 per cent) and the highest severity scores.
EXPERIMENTAL strain typing of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (VCJD) has shown that the transmi... more EXPERIMENTAL strain typing of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (VCJD) has shown that the transmissible agent respon-sible for this disorder is identical to that in bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), providing further evidence to support the hypothesis that exposure to the BSE ...
This study investigated the effect of exsanguination without prior stunning, or carbon dioxide na... more This study investigated the effect of exsanguination without prior stunning, or carbon dioxide narcosis followed by exsanguination, or percussive stunning or spiking the brain, on the time taken to abolish the visual evoked responses (VERS) of farmed Atlantic salmon. Only percussive stunning and spiking killed the fish immediately and the other two methods resulted in aversive reactions by the fish. The VERS were lost between 148 and 440 seconds after exsanguination without stunning, and between 300 and 554 seconds after carbon dioxide narcosis followed by exsanguination. During both these procedures the fish showed strong aversive behaviour. In contrast, percussive stunning and spiking the brain could result in the immediate loss of VERS and no aversive reactions from the fish if the stun was applied correctly.
ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or exter... more ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or external microbial contamination of meat, experimental animals (lambs) were inoculated with a marker organisms (nalidixic acid resistant Escherichia coli K12 or Pseudomonas fluorescens) into the brain through the stun wound immediately after stunning by a cartridge-operated, penetrative captive bolt pistol. After the animals were slaughtered and dressed, the marker organisms were found, on average, in blood and liver of 90% animals, lungs and spleen of 80%, lymph nodes of 30%, in deep muscle of 20% and on carcass surface of 50% of brain-inoculated animals. When the pistol which had been used to stun one brain-inoculated lamb was used to stun consecutive, non-inoculated lambs, the marker organisms were found, on average, in stun wounds of 100%, in blood of 30% and on the carcass surface of 40% consecutively stunned animals. No marker organisms were detected in their muscle or organs. When the stun spot on the surface of the head of some lambs was inoculated with marker organism and subsequently stunned through the same spot, the marker organism was detected in the air, on hands, and aprons of the worker in the stunning area. Overall, the results from this study indicate that penetrative stunning of food animals can carry risks of internal and/or external microbial contamination of edible tissues and organs.
The effects of head-to-back electrical stunning on the incidence of post-stunning reflex activity... more The effects of head-to-back electrical stunning on the incidence of post-stunning reflex activity and cortical evoked responses were investigated in sheep. The stuns were effective in terms of inducing epileptiform activity and they resulted in cardiac fibrillation which ensured that there was no recovery of consciousness. Even though the corneal reflex and respiratory gasps were present, in 10 out of 12 sheep there were no concomitant visual and somatosensory evoked responses following a stun. In the remaining two, the responses were rudimentary and it would be unwise to conclude that the animals were conscious. It is suggested that brain stem reflexes following this stunning method should not be relied on as indices of recovery. The results support the view that an electrical stunning method which induces cardiac fibrillation results in improved animal welfare.
Sixty-one calves were electrically stunned with 100-250 V currents (103-1806 mA) and the prevalen... more Sixty-one calves were electrically stunned with 100-250 V currents (103-1806 mA) and the prevalence and duration of insensibility was assessed from their physical behaviour, the presence of epileptiform activity in their electrocorticograms, and the absence of visual evoked responses in their electrocorticograms. A current applied at 100 V across the head for 3 s failed to induce insensibility in all cases. Currents at 150-250 V induced insensibility in all calves and the shortest duration of insensibility was 44 s. It is recommended that a 150-200 V current would be appropriate for commercial use.
ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or exter... more ABSTRACT To determine whether penetrative stunning of animals can result in internal and/or external microbial contamination of meat, experimental animals (lambs) were inoculated with a marker organisms (nalidixic acid resistant Escherichia coli K12 or Pseudomonas fluorescens) into the brain through the stun wound immediately after stunning by a cartridge-operated, penetrative captive bolt pistol. After the animals were slaughtered and dressed, the marker organisms were found, on average, in blood and liver of 90% animals, lungs and spleen of 80%, lymph nodes of 30%, in deep muscle of 20% and on carcass surface of 50% of brain-inoculated animals. When the pistol which had been used to stun one brain-inoculated lamb was used to stun consecutive, non-inoculated lambs, the marker organisms were found, on average, in stun wounds of 100%, in blood of 30% and on the carcass surface of 40% consecutively stunned animals. No marker organisms were detected in their muscle or organs. When the stun spot on the surface of the head of some lambs was inoculated with marker organism and subsequently stunned through the same spot, the marker organism was detected in the air, on hands, and aprons of the worker in the stunning area. Overall, the results from this study indicate that penetrative stunning of food animals can carry risks of internal and/or external microbial contamination of edible tissues and organs.
The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old ... more The main objectives of the study were to provide an accurate assessment of current levels of old breaks in end-of-lay hens housed in a variety of system designs and identify the important risk factors. Sixty-seven flocks housed in eight broad subcategories were assessed at the end of the production period. Within each flock, the presence of keel fractures was determined and the tibia, humerus and keel bones dissected for measurement of breaking strength. For each house, variations in internal design and perching provision were categorised and the effective heights of the differing structures recorded. All systems were associated with alarmingly high levels of keel damage although variation in mean prevalence between systems was evident with flocks housed in furnished cages having the lowest prevalence (36 per cent) despite also having significantly weaker bones and flocks housed in all systems equipped with multilevel perches showing the highest levels of damage (over 80 per cent) and the highest severity scores.
High voltage head-to-back electrical stunning can induce vertebral compression fractures, blood s... more High voltage head-to-back electrical stunning can induce vertebral compression fractures, blood splash and poor meat quality in pigs. This experiment was designed to determine the optimum position of the rear electrode which would not only stun and kill pork and bacon weight pigs with a 1·3 A 50 Hz sinewave but would also produce a good carcass with desirable meat quality. Although there was a trend for less breaks to occur the further forward the rear electrode was positioned, there was no position which gave 100% cardiac fibrillation and an absence of breaks. The incidence of blood splash, muscle haemorrhages and the variations in meat colour were not related to electrode position and fell in the 'normal' range quoted by other workers. The severity and incidence of kicking after stunning was reduced the more caudal the electrode position. This was in direct contrast to the effect on compression fractures where a reduction was seen with the more rostral applications.
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Papers by J. McKinstry