Cattle stunning is a crucial step in the abattoir process. By rendering animals unconscious before slaughter, stunning minimises the risk of pain and stress to the animal and ensures the highest quality meat output.
While there are different methods of stunning available, the use of specialist cattle stunners remains one of the most effective and humane in Australia and New Zealand. Abattoirs prioritising worker safety and meat quality will seek out the safest and most effective cattle stunning techniques available to the meat industry.
Overview:
- Cattle stunning: legal & ethical considerations
- Methods of cattle stunning
- Captive bolt stunning: best practices
Cattle stunning: legal & ethical considerations
In Australia and New Zealand, there are strict regulations surrounding the slaughtering of animals. According to the Australian Meat Standard (AS4696:2007), it is a legal requirement that all livestock are handled in a manner that minimises the risk of injury, pain and suffering – which is why cattle stunning plays such an integral role.
Cattle stunning is a practice that ensures animals experience minimal stress before the slaughter process begins. It not only safeguards the animal’s welfare but can also:
- Improve meat quality: stunning prevents muscle contractions or blood splashing (which occurs during distress), which can impact the taste, texture and appearance of the meat.
- Increase efficiency: stunning cattle using specialist tools ensures the animals are easier to handle, and can reduce the risk of injury to workers and the animals.
As a member of the Humane Slaughter Association, all Accles & Shelvoke cattle stunners are designed to be humane and comply with the appropriate legislation and regulations.
Methods of cattle stunning
Every year, billions of animals are reared for food. In 2022 alone, Australia produced approximately 1.9 million tonnes of carcass weight of beef and veal, and exported 67% of its total red meat production (MLA industry report).
Specialist equipment and techniques that kill animals safely and humanely ensure animal welfare and worker safety. Two such methods include the use of mechanical captive bolts (penetrative and non-penetrative), and electrical stunning.
Mechanical
Captive bolt stunners were first introduced and made commercially available in the UK in the early 1920’s. They’ve since undergone several modifications that make them more efficient, ergonomic and safer to use (for both the abattoir and animal). For example, Accles & Shelvoke’s CASH® range of cattle stunners feature:
- An ergonomic pistol shape
- An automatic bolt return and fast loading action
- Multiple calibre options (.22″ and .25″)
- A precise barrel that allows the stunner to be positioned on the animal’s head
- And are proof tested in accordance with C.I.P. and are compliant with the European regulation EC 1099/2009
Captive bolt stunners fire a retractable (captive) bolt into the animal’s head to render them unconscious and insensible to pain. Having the same effect on the animal as a firearm with a live bullet, they minimise the risk of prolonged distress and can be used on other animals beyond cattle.
Captive bolt stunners fall into two broad categories: penetrative and non-penetrative.
Penetrating vs non-penetrating
Penetrative stunners have a bolt that penetrates the skull of the animal. The animal becomes immediately unconscious due to the concussive blow to the skull as well as the damage caused by the entry of the bolt to the brain.
Non-penetrative stunners, on the other hand, deliver a concussive blow that does not penetrate the brain. The rapid blow to the head causes the brain to impact inside of the skull. This causes a sudden, massive increase in intra-cranial pressure, followed by an equally sudden drop in pressure, disrupting normal electrical activity. The resulting damage to the nerves and blood vessels causes brain dysfunction and destruction, impairing blood circulation.
The duration of insensibility depends on the severity of damage to the nervous tissue and the degree to which blood supply is reduced. There may also be physical damage to the skull or brain.
This method of cattle stunning still renders the animal unconscious but is considered ‘reversible’. Because of this, it’s often used to meet safety requirements for religious/ritual slaughter such as Halal slaughter, which requires that an animal is killed from a throat cut and bleeding process rather than from the stun itself.
Physical signs of an effective stun include collapse of the animal, no rhythmic breathing, fixed, glazed expression in the eyes, relaxed jaw, tongue hanging out and no corneal reflex.
Accles & Shelvoke’s CASH® Magnum Concussion and CASH® Special Concussion captive bolt stunners are the perfect tools for effective mechanical cattle stunning.
Electrical
The next method of cattle stunning involves passing an electrical current through the animal’s body. Done properly, the current disrupts normal brain activity and renders the animal unconscious and insensible to pain immediately. The most commonly-used pathways for this include head-only, head to brisket, and head to body.
- Head only: two electrodes are placed on either side of the head, and the current is only delivered to the animal’s head – causing no physical injury. This method is fully reversible and unless the animal is bled fast, it will recover completely within a few minutes.
- Head to brisket: electrodes are placed on the nose and the brisket, with the current running through and stopping the heart. Unless this state is reversed quickly, the animal will die from cardiac arrest.
- Head to body: the current passes through both the head and the body, causing unconsciousness and muscle paralysis.
Implications of electrical cattle stunning
While this method of cattle stunning is humane and meets the requirements of Halal slaughtering, there are several challenges. In order to be effective, a sufficient amount of current needs to flow through the animal’s body for a certain period of time.
This means the voltage needs to be adjusted according to the size and breed of the animal, and the electrodes must be correctly positioned. If not done properly, electrical stunning can lead to incomplete consciousness which may harm the animal (MLA stunning and halal slaughter).
Captive bolt stunning: best practices
While captive bolt stunning appears straightforward, proper handling of cattle is essential to protect the welfare of the animal and the safety of the user. If positioned incorrectly, the stunner could result in an ineffective stun which could cause distress and pain for the animal and a potential safety risk for the operator.
Cattle will normally be restrained for effective stunning, in an abattoir this is usually achieved using a stun box with a guillotine door at one end where the animal enters and a side door where the animal is removed after stunning. A head restraint may be required by law.
Experienced slaughtermen will have their own preferences for how animals are presented for stunning, however, the positioning should ensure that the operator does not have to concentrate on keeping their balance or bend excessively each time they stun an animal as this can become tiring and can contribute to inaccurate stunning.
An effective stun must be administered to the correct part of the skull to ensure maximum impact on the brain, ideally at a location where the brain is closest to the surface of the head and the skull is at its thinnest.
After stunning, cattle should be bled or pithed immediately to ensure rapid death.
Maintenance and safety
Proper training in the use of captive bolt stunners is essential for worker safety and effective abattoir processes. Common sense prompts for safety include never pointing the captive bolt stunner at any person’s body, always handling the tool as though it is loaded and never leaving a loaded stunner unattended. When not in use, captive bolt equipment should be securely stored.
Without proper maintenance, captive bolt stunners can deliver insufficient stunning or inaccurate blows, causing stress, pain and suffering to the animal. Components like the barrel, firing pin and cartridge can wear out or become clogged with use, so they need to be regularly dismantled, cleaned and lubricated.
At FPE, we provide spare parts for all the equipment we supply – including both Accles & Shelvoke’s CASH range of bolt stunners. Our maintenance technicians can also assist with routine maintenance with your equipment, and provide industry on-site training to ensure you’re using the machinery safely and correctly.
Ensure safe & humane cattle stunning with captive bolt stunners from FPE
Maintain best practice cattle stunning practices, optimise meat quality and prioritise worker safety with the innovative captive bolt stunners from Accles and Shevolke. Available exclusively from FPE in both Australia and New Zealand, the CASH range is selected for its efficiency and effectiveness in the abattoir process.
With 40 years of experience supplying equipment to the meat processing industry, FPE understands that it’s not just about getting the right tools — maintaining equipment and readily available spare parts are critical to avoiding costly downtime. To learn more about captive bolt stunners or to order, call AU 1800 882 549 or NZ 0800 100 003.
More on the abattoir process:
- How to trim beef
- Deboning beef
- Beef skinning
- Optimising beef yield
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between slaughter and stunning?
Stunning renders an animal unconscious and insensible to pain before it is slaughtered. This minimises any stress and fear for the animal.
Slaughter, on the other hand, is the process of killing the animal for meat production. After stunning, the animal typically ‘bled’ to ensure rapid death. Bleeding involves severing the carotid arteries and jugular veins, causing the animal to die from blood loss.
Are cows stunned before slaughter?
Yes, it is a legal requirement in Australia and New Zealand that cows are stunned before they are slaughtered. This can be done via mechanical methods (penetrative or non-penetrative) or electrical stunning.
How does stunning affect the quality of beef?
When animals experience stress, their muscles contract – which can lead to defects like blood splashing, poor appearance and tough textures (due to the muscles becoming rigid).
If stunning is done correctly, the animal feels no pain and immediately becomes unconscious. This not only minimises the risk of the animal struggling and bruising the meat, but ensures an even distribution of blood which improves the meat’s overall colour and appearance.
