Slaughter (livestock)

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For other uses, see slaughter (disambiguation).

Slaughter is the term used to describe the killing and butchering of domestic livestock.

1 United States
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] United States

In the United States, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) specifies the approved methods of livestock slaughter:^[1]

Chemical (carbon dioxide): This method is approved for sheep, calves and swine. The animal is asphyxiated by the use of carbon dioxide gas.
Mechanical (captive bolt): This method is approved for sheep, swine, goats, calves, cattle, horses, mules, and other equines. A captive bolt stunners is applied to the livestock so as to produce immediate unconsciousness in the animals before they are butchered.
Mechanical (gunshot): This method is approved for cattle, calves, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules, and other equines. The gun is used to render the animal immediately unconscious (and presumably dead) before butchering.
Electrical (stunning or slaughtering with electric current): This method is approved for swine, sheep, calves, cattle, and goats. The current applied is sufficient to ensure surgical anesthesia throughout the "bleeding" of the animal.

Each of these methods is outlined in detail, and the regulations require that inspectors identify operations which cause undue "excitement and discomfort" of animals.