Fast end for cattle: Uni Kassel examined alternative to slaughterhouse
For many German a good piece of beef belongs to the quality of life; many want the cattle but also a quick death without fear and pain. Around 3,7 million cattle are slaughtered every year in Germany, the vast majority of the animals die in slaughterhouses - also cattle, who have spent their lives in such animals in the pasture. However, the transport to the slaughterhouse, and the wait for the captive bolt just cause for grazing cattle great stress and anxiety, because these animals are to be accustomed penned, nor to have enough contact with people. In addition, it is believed that a significant proportion of all cattle - are estimated in poor farms around five percent - is stunned inadequately by the conventional bolt pistol. Agricultural scientists at the University of Kassel are investigating an alternative: In the so-called bullet shot method the ox is killed in the pasture by headshot.
"According to our current knowledge, this method is painless for the cattle," says Dr. Stefanie Retz, research assistant in the Department of Agricultural Engineering of the University: "We want to help with our investigations to establish criteria by which the bullet shot method should be applied, and thereby provide a basis for a uniform licensing practice. "the project is sponsored by the Federal Agency for Agriculture and food (BLE) with approximately 250.000 euros. It started last April and run for three years. Working for their investigations Stefanie Retz and her colleague Katrin Schiffer with a veterinarian and an organic farm in Schleswig-Holstein.
In the investigated method the pastures in familiar surroundings remain. The specially trained shooter used a hunting rifle. The killed animal is still bled in the yard and then transported. Immediately after the shooting, the vital functions of cattle are tested. "We have so far always found that the cow was immediately unconscious and died immediately after the shot," says Stefanie Retz. The bullet shot method is already allowed under certain conditions.
So far, however, a uniform approval practice is missing as well as scientific data. The bullet shot method will never replace the killing in the slaughterhouse in full screen, so Stefanie Retz. "But we want to increase acceptance especially among organic farmers and those responsible for the monitoring authorities. Many organic farmers, it is a concern that their pets will find a dignified death. In addition, they get as an additional marketing argument "Ultimately wanted the scientists to work out a kind of license for farmers". As they have to be trained, they need to know it and can? We want to clarify, "Stefanie Retz describes.
A second research result should be the influence of the method on meat quality. For stress, as he comes up at the slaughterhouse particularly in grazing cattle, the body emits certain substances. This lead to an acidification of the muscles, preventing the maturation of the meat and reduce its quality. "Our hypothesis is that the quality is improved by the bullet shot method," said Stefanie Retz. "Here, our investigations have just begun."
Source: Kassel [University of Kassel]
