Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	18 October 2000 ELECTRIC STUNNING DOES NOT WORK, SAYS VIVA! The animal charity Viva! today reveals that UK slaughterhouses are stunning farmed animals with electrical equipment which does not cause an immediate or an uninterrupted loss of consciousness. Under UK law, stunning techniques are supposed to cause an, ‘immediate loss of consciousness which lasts until death’ and according to the Meat Hygiene Service, most sheep and pigs are given an electric head-only stun. Viva!’s new Sentenced to Death report on the slaughter of farmed animals uncovers scientific research which reveals that this stunning technique is ineffective. Researchers at Bristol University’s Department of Food Animal Science examined whether electrically stunned sheep respond to flashing lights following a stun. They found that, “The epileptiform phase is interposed with periods of cortical responsiveness and the possibility cannot be ruled out that these correspond to transient periods of perception... There is as yet no unequivocal scientific evidence which shows how electrical stunning actually stuns an animal.” In a follow up paper, the scientists electrically stunned sheep and examined whether they then responded to “potentially painful stimuli” - like manual pinching of the ear and electrical stimulation of the tooth. They conclude that electrical stunning does induce a state of analgesia but this does not alter their previous observation that electrically stunned animals have periods of consciousness which can last up to 8 seconds. Viva! wrote to the Bristol research team and asked, “Am I right in saying that after being stunned in this way [electric head-only stun] sheep cannot feel pain but that they are not actually unconscious i.e. they are aware of their surroundings?” Researcher Steve Wotton replied, “Your interpretation of our conclusions is generally correct...”. Says Viva! Campaigner Rebecca Smith, “The idea that sheep are aware of their surroundings as they bleed to death is horrific. It also goes against the legislative principle of stunning - animals are supposed to be rendered unconscious.” Although the Bristol research was conducted in the 1980s, it has never been brought to light and Viva! has confirmed with the scientists that no further research into the area has been carried out since that time. Viva!’s investigation has revealed that animals may also be fully aware of the pain caused by the stun itself. Dr Harold Hillman, director of the Unity Laboratory of Applied Neurobiology in Surrey, states in his submission to the report that passing an electric current through the brain of a conscious animal is a barbaric procedure which he describes as, “torture”. Says Hillman, “The reasons for which people do not believe that electrical stunning of animals or electrocution of prisoners is painful is that the normal reaction of a conscious animal to pain is to move violently and make loud noises. However, the massive electrical current stimulates all the muscles maximally and this paralyses the animal. Thus they can neither move violently, nor can their vocal chords make noises. Their observers naturally think that they are not in pain.” The Bristol researchers admit that there is no proof that animals are rendered immediately unconscious by an electric head-only stun. They say, “It was not possible to say whether responsiveness to the potentially painful stimuli was lost instantaneously at electrical stunning”. “Consumers who purchase meat are under the illusion that the animals have been ‘humanely’ killed,” says Rebecca Smith. “They would be horrified if they realised that these assurances often have no scientific basis. “Electric head-only stunning does not prevent animal suffering at slaughter and Viva! is calling on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to phase out this cruel, outdated technique immediately.” Ends More information: Rebecca Smith, Juliet Gellatley or Tony Wardle on 0117 944 1000. Note to Editors: Viva! has video footage and photographs showing sheep and pigs being killed. Read our briefing and report here. References: N.G. Gregory, S.B. Wotton, 1985. Sheep slaughtering procedures IV: Responsiveness of the brain following electrical stunning. British Veterinary Journal 141, 74-81. N.G. Gregory, S.B. Wotton, 1988. Sheep slaughtering procedures V. Responsiveness to potentially painful stimuli following electrical stunning, British Veterinary Journal 144, 573-580.