Organized by EURCAW-Poultry-SFA.

The webinar was held via Teams.

Target audience: Official inspectors from the Competent Authorities of the EU MSs.

Attendance through invitation only.

The PDF of the presentation is available here.

The webinar recording will be available here. 

Description: 

Current European Union legislation on welfare of animals at the time of killing requires stunning before slaughter to render the animals unconscious, and thus insensible to pain, until death occurs. One of the main challenges in monitoring the state of consciousness is selecting the animal-based indicators that ensure consistent assessments. 

This webinar aims to pinpoint the most relevant indicators, method and recommendations to assess the state of consciousness after electrical stunning of rabbits. It draws on findings from a comprehensive scientific study conducted at 16 commercial slaughterhouses across the European Union. The session will also cover the effectiveness of stunning, highlighting the primary factors that contribute to its success. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussions and address any questions or concerns. 

Schedule:  

10:00: General presentation of the EURCAW-Poultry SFA - Virginie Michel  

10:15: Introduction to electrical stunning in rabbits and indicators – Antonio Velarde  

10:20: Scientific study: refinement of indicators and efficiency of stunning - Alexandra Contreras-Jodar  

10:30: Methods and recommendations - Alexandra Contreras-Jodar and Virginie Michel  

The webinar was attended by 118 people (164 registered), from 14 EU Member States and 2 EFTA countries:  

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden 

This webinar has been organized within the sub-activity 4.2: Development of course material for specific topics, of the working program 2023-2024.