Pig Slaughter Operators’ Perception of Stunning Benefits: A Comparative Analysis of Electrical and Captive Bolt Effectiveness

Abstract

The pre-slaughter phase, which includes stunning, aims to reduce animal stress, ensuring a more compassionate and efficient process in the meat industry. Various methods are often used in slaughtering pigs, with electrical, mechanical, and chemical stunning being the most common techniques. Several studies have shown that selecting the appropriate method requires operators to comprehensively understand the slaughter process. Therefore, this study focused on evaluating the comprehension of pig slaughter operators regarding the benefits and effectiveness of electrical and captive bolt stunning methods. A total of 17 pigs slaughtered from seven slaughterhouses were selected as samples. Data collection was carried out using questionnaires, interviews, and direct observation. The results showed that operators clearly understood the benefits of stunning in terms of speed and ease. However, their comprehension regarding pig stress reduction before death remained limited. Although captive bolt stunning was known to have various benefits, such as shortening the duration of leg movements after slaughter, it required longer operation time, compared to the electrical method. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is no ideal stunning method as both methods of electrical and captive bolt stunning have their respective advantages and disadvantages.