Food quality aspects of farmed sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were compared following two methods of slaughter: the normal commercial method of killing, by immersion in an ice slurry, or by ¢rst electrically stunning the ¢sh, before immersion in an ice slurry. Quality was assessed for up to 10 days of storage on ice after slaughter. No di¡erences were found between the slaughter methods in terms of an overall sensory evaluation of cooked ¢llets, or in terms of overall carcass quality: overall appearance, internal and external haemorrhage, ¢n damage, burst gall bladder, staining of the body cavity by leakage from the gut or damage to the spine. Using objective measurements of colour, no di¡erences between ¢sh from either treatment were found in terms of external colour or colour of the ¢llets. A chemical analysis of £esh nucleotide breakdown products as well as the freshness indicator K i value did not di¡erentiate the two treatments nor did the industry standard freshness scoring technique (QIM, quality index method), over 10 days of storage on ice. Flesh pH was marginally lower in electrically stunned ¢sh at 4 h post mortem (6.42 cf 6.56) but by 24 h, pH in ¢sh from both treatments had decreased to a similar level (6.22). Humane electrical stunning of sea bass at slaughter neither measurably improved nor decreased product quality for between 1 and 10 days of storage on ice. Electrical stunning accelerated the pattern of onset and resolution of rigor mortis. If electrical stunning were to be widely adopted, re-education of buyers would be necessary as rigor mortis is currently used by buyers as a proxy measure of ¢sh freshness.

Rabbits are a common companion animal in the United Kingdom, and some reports have suggested that large numbers are relinquished to rehoming centers each year. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of rabbits relinquished to 2 UK rehoming centers and explore reasons given for relinquishment. The centers contributed data for all rabbits who entered their center during 2013 (n = 205). Most rabbits (59.5%) were relinquished by a guardian. Similar numbers of males and females were relinquished, and a larger number of rabbits were not neutered (72.4%) and adults (56%). Most rabbits were healthy on arrival (61.5%). The most common reasons for relinquishment were: "too many rabbits/unplanned litters" (30.3%) and "housing problems" (23.8%). Rabbit-related reasons accounted for 12.2% of rabbits relinquished. Reasons for relinquishment were associated with 1 of the recorded rabbit characteristics. Further detailed studies are needed to explore the dynamics of companion rabbit ownership and factors that affect the breakdown of rabbit-guardian relationships in the United Kingdom.

Food quality aspects of farmed turbot (Psetta maxima) were compared following two methods of slaughter: the current commercial method, by immersion in an ice slurry, which is then dewatered after approximately 20 min, or by first humanely, electrically stunning the fish using a prototype commercial stunner, before immersion in an ice slurry, which is dewatered after 20 min. Quality was assessed for up to 10 days of storage on ice following slaughter. No differences were found between the slaughter methods in terms of an overall carcass quality: overall appearance, haemorrhage, damage, burst gall bladder, staining of the body cavity by leakage from the gut or damage to the spine. No detectable difference was found between the treatments using the industry standard freshness scoring system, the Quality Index Method. Both groups of fish were classified as ‘Fresh’ after 10 days of storage on ice. Using objective measurements of colour, no differences between fish from either treatment were found in fillet colour. Changes in flesh pH were similar in electrically stunned and traditionally killed fish with a mean pH (±SE) at 2 h post‐mortem of 6.80±0.027 declining to 6.44±0.032 at 24 h post‐mortem. Humane electrical stunning of turbot at slaughter neither detectably improved nor decreased product quality as measured between 1 and 10 days of storage on ice.

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