Stunning evolution

Tools of the Trade
Stunning evolution
Technology has refined the process
of humane slaughter
By Jerry Karczewski
[email protected]
I
n beef plants, the performance of
the captive-bolt stunner has been
paramount to developing humane
slaughter for more than 100 years.
However, a 1996 survey by animalhandling expert Dr. Temple Grandin, showed that only 36 percent of
plants were able to achieve acceptable
stunning scores, highlighting a serious need to improve.
Equipment manufacturers were
challenged to improve the tool with the
goal of delivering “first-time, everytime” stunning. The subsequent innovations are reminiscent of a similar
period of change that occurred over
a century ago. In the mid 1800s, the
most common tool for stunning cattle
was the poleaxe. A long-handled axe
with a thimble head on the opposing end, it was swung by the operator
to strike the forehead. When applied
correctly, it provided both concussive
force and penetration of the skull to
achieve the stun.
In 1872, a French butcher produced the
slaughter mask.
But more times than not, several blows were needed to achieve insensibility. One efficacy study found
66 • Meat&Poultry • July 2011 • www.MeatPoultry.com
that in 100 head of cattle, only 55
were stunned on the first stroke; one
animal required 10 strokes (Evans,
1923). Both public and industry concerns demanded change – in the latter
part of the 19th Century, that change
was in motion.
In 1872, a French butcher produced
the slaughter mask. The mask attached
to the face of the animal and featured a
fixed striking bolt, ensuring a correct
position for the stun. The bolt was then
hit with a mallet to penetrate the skull.
Because putting it on distracted cattle,
it was never widely used. The concept
of the striking bolt, however, was a key
step to improvement.
Above: Diagram of an early Cash stunner and a later model CASH Special captive bolt stunner. (Photo courtesy of Accles
& Shelvoke)
stunning evolution
slaughter. The 1890s saw the introduction of free-bullet killers, such
as Greener’s Humane Cattle Killer,
and were effective in providing instant insensibility and became widely used. This meant that for the first
time, stunning could be achieved by
mechanical means without relying on
the power of a human operator. While
effective, the free-bullet stunner created safety concerns because the bullet could lodge anywhere in the meat,
or ricochet and hit a worker. The size
and the application of the implement,
however, fueled further changes.
The 1890s saw the introduction of freebullet killers, such as Greener’s Humane
Cattle Killer.
At the same time, the firearms industry was perfecting the development
of full metal cartridges, allowing pistols and rifles to be rapidly reloaded.
This was rapidly impacting humane
Technology convergence
The turn of the 20th Century brought
a flurry of stunner development. In
fact, a 1902 international contest
challenged inventors of the day by
soliciting ideas for the most humane
stunning tool. The first place winner
was awarded to an entry that would
become known as first captive-bolt
stunner, Behr’s Flash Cattle Killer. It
combined the penetrating bolt of the
slaughter mask with the propulsive
force of gunpowder.
In England, Christopher Cash was
promoting humane improvements in
the English slaughterhouse system.
His 1907 book, Our Slaughter House
System: A Plea for Reform, endorsed the
new “mechanical poleaxe.” Cash had
ideas about improving the new tool,
which he took to J.G. Accles, a firearms manufacturer in Birmingham,
England. Accles listened to Cash’s
ideas and in 1913 began production
of a new model stunner. In a nod to
its originator, it was named the CASH
stunner, and the Accles & Shelvoke
line carries the Cash name today.
Fast-forward 50 years. The cartridge-fired captive bolt, driven by the
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controlled explosion of gunpowder, was
the predominant stunning tool for cattle. On the horizon, another propulsive
idea was taking shape. Industrial airpowered tools were becoming more
popular, portable, and affordable. In
the 1970s, air-powered technology was
applied to the captive bolt. Although
the initial expense of the pneumatic
system was higher than the cartridge
powered stunner, it offered lower operating costs and rapid repeatability, an
advantage for high-speed operations.
Managing, measuring
The 1990s brought measurement and
accountability to animal welfare. In
the middle of the decade, Dr. Grandin
released her five-point animal welfare
audit. This objective, outcome-based
audit provided measurable expectations
to packers, and none drew as much attention as the stunning score. Adopted
first by McDonald’s Corp. in 1999, the
audit quickly became a staple for supplier audits. Plants were challenged
to improve their scores or face being
delisted. No longer was it acceptable
to effectively stun most of the time; it
became vital to do it every time.
Vincent Volpe is the president of
Jarvis Products Corporation of Middletown, Conn. Prior to 2003, Jarvis
had been in the meat equipment business but had never built a stunner. The
pneumatic stunners in the marketplace in the 1990s, Volpe says, were
“stud stunners – nail guns modified to
be a pneumatic captive-bolt stunner.”
Though generally effective, air pressure wasn’t always consistent enough
to produce an effective stun on the
first blow. Volpe’s company soon started receiving requests to manufacture
a stunner that bore the Jarvis name.
Jarvis had a manufactured unit, design and concept from Arthur Jones,
an engineer in Iowa. Jones’ design incorporated an internal accumulator in
the gun, which would only activate
when the correct pressure was there.
Jarvis acquired Jones’ concepts, and
began production in 2003.
Volpe says the difference in the
Jarvis USSS-1 and earlier pneumatic stunners, is that the USSS-1 was
the first pneumatic stunner designed
from the ground up. Because Jarvis
manufactures the whole system, it
has the capability to deliver consistent performance that is needed in the
era of “first-time, every time” stunning capabilities.
Volpe proudly states: “our equipment delivers a positive blow, every
time.” The distinguishing characteristics, Volpe adds, is “The accumulator,
because it makes sure the pressure is
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www.MeatPoultry.com • July 2011 • Meat&Poultry • 69
stunning evolution
The Jarvis USSS-1 pneumatic stunner with variable
regulator allows the operator to adjust the pressure for plants that process different types of cattle.
(Photo courtesy of Jarvis Products Corporation)
consistent for every stun. Our infinitely
variable regulator allows the operator to
adjust the pressure for plants that process different types of cattle. For steers,
you might need 165 lbs. of pressure; an
older Holstein cow might require 185
or 195 lbs. and a bull might need 250
lbs. The plant can dial in the pressure
based on what’s at the restrainer.” Jarvis
offers a stun tester to assure consistent,
repeatable performance.
What’s in the future? “We’re focusing on improving our concussion
stunners,” he continues. “It’s getting
wider use in Halal slaughter, and we
have to be prepared for where regulations are going in different countries. Who knows when the laws might
change – just look at what happened
with BSE. We recently received protocols from Australia for concussion
stunning in Malaysia and Australia.
We have to be ready for everything.
“We are also working on improving the penetrating stunner,” Volpe
says. “We are looking at a stronger
stroke with a longer bolt to get those
Holsteins and young bulls with one
shot. There are challenges with dif-
ferent animals in different areas of
the world, like the water buffalo in
China. The brain cavity is deeper in
the skull and smaller, and our stunner
just doesn’t get there. Yet, we have to
adapt to those circumstances.”
Accles & Shelvoke not only built of
one of the first captive-bolt stunners,
they also introduced the first tool to
verify stunner performance. Recently, A&S saw the opportunity to fill a
unique need in humane stunning –
the euthanasia stunner.
Clive Scrivens, commercial manager at A&S, has been working with
Cash stunners. He says that A&S recognized “a growing need for a specialty stunner to handle situations on
the ‘live-casualty side’ of animal production: livestock transportation accidents, on-farm illness or injury, or
mass destruction due to disease or
catastrophe.” A stunner was needed
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that would provide a humane death
and be flexible for different situations.
Through extensive design, engineering and testing, Accles & Shelvoke built a heavy-duty, cartridgepropelled, captive-bolt device with
interchangeable bolt assemblies, making it flexible, portable and effective
for field use. Jennifer Woods, livestock
handling consultant and euthanasia
specialist, reports: “The [CASH] Euthanizer has been very effective as a
single-step euthanasia device. What
makes it unique is the interchangeable
heads which allow for effective use for
multiple species and weight classes.”
Scrivens adds, “The Cash Special
[the basis of the Cash Euthanizer Kit],
with its pistol shape gives it huge flexibility in terms of ease of use and wide
range of animals it can be used with.”
That flexibility is key to the special
niche it fills in the livestock production spectrum.
Chuck Bildstein is the service manager for Bunzl’s Processor Division,
distributor for CASH equipment. He
is working with A&S engineers to develop a new Stun Check system integrated with computer software, generating better information to manage
stunner performance.
Bildstein is excited about the new
system: “This new stun-check system will be the first on the market to
capture the actual bolt speed digitally
for each stunner so the plant can better verify the integrity of the equipment,” he says. “Plant personnel will
be able to make better decisions as to
when the stunner should be serviced
or replaced.”
Preparing for the future, the company is currently testing to expand
humane stunning applications to fish,
poultry, and reptiles. Bildstein and
Scrivens agree: “it’s important to continue assisting with equipment design, cartridge design and expertise,
no matter the species.”
Stunning results
stunning efficacy at slaughter plants.
Grandin’s system of objective welfare
scoring has been adopted around the
world and has driven change in the
design, maintenance, and usage of
the captive bolt stunner. Not unlike
a century ago, when books like Upton
Sinclair’s The Jungle and Christopher
Cash’s Our Slaughterhouse System: A
Plea for Reform galvanized a demand
for humane handling and slaughter
that nurtured the development of the
captive-bolt stunner.
And change has come – measurably. While Grandin’s 1996 survey
showed that only 36 percent of beef
plants had acceptable or excellent
stunning scores, her 2010 summary showed that 100 percent of plants
surveyed had acceptable or higher
scores – literally, a stunning improvement (Complete survey information
at www.grandin.com).
Following Grandin’s mantra,
“You manage what you measure,”
slaughter plants around the globe are
improving their humane handling
process by measuring, managing and
adjusting in a process of continuous
improvement.
And manufacturers like Jarvis,
Accles & Shelvoke and others are
making sure the best technology,
workmanshipand service are providing a solid foundation for optimum
stunning performance, now and in
the future. ■
A 30-year veteran of processing-plant operations, Jerry Karczewski is a contributing based
in Oconomowoc, Wis. He also is the owner
of Karczewski Consulting (www.diversecattle.
com), which provides humane handling and
plant operations consulting services. For more
information, call (262)490-8293 or send email
to: [email protected].
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www.MeatPoultry.com • July 2011 • Meat&Poultry • 71