Weapon introduction
Humans have always used weapons or other tools to gain access to meat. Photographer: Västerbotten Museum.
By law, all animals slaughtered in Sweden must be stunned before killing. Stunning involves rendering the animal unconscious, and this unconsciousness must be complete until the animal has been killed by means of bleeding.
Good stunning is crucial to animal welfare during slaughter, and a knowledge of what happens physiologically, as well as of the use of weapons and other equipment, is in turn crucial for effective stunning.
Moreover, the care and maintenance of equipment has a major impact on the stunning effect.
Different types of stunning equipment, a Schermer bolt gun (left) and electric tongs (right).
Photographer: Lotta Berg, SLU (Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet)
Regardless of the stunning method and equipment selected, there is always compromise between various factors. No method or equipment has only advantages. It is important to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the methods and equipment used.
The aim of the module
This module aims to provide you with knowledge of the physiological effects of various types of weapon as regards stunning, along with a knowledge of the weapon/equipment types used and the care/maintenance of these. It will also provide you with the knowledge you need to make a well reasoned choice of weapon type and ammunition, as well as a reserve method.
The aim is also to provide you with an understanding of the importance of care and maintenance of stunning equipment for effective stunning.
Learning targets and estimated time required for the module
After completing this module, you must:
- Be able to describe various weapon types, their various parts and ammunition
- Broadly understand the physiological principles on which various stunning methods are based and indicate the importance of equipment positioning, aiming and power
- Broadly be able to describe equipment and systems for gas stunning and electric stunning
- Be able to describe important aspects of long-distance killing
- Generally be able to describe care and maintenance of various items of stunning equipment and be able to describe the links between incomplete stunning and the care/maintenance of the equipment.
Time required: It is estimated that you will need about 30 minutes to study the content in the module, which is 39 pages long. Your browser’s address bar at the top of the page shows you which page you are on.