Killing in connection with pelting

reason no. (28), page 4 (EC) no. 1099/2009“… Personnel performing certain tasks during slaughter and persons monitoring seasonal killing of fur-bearing animals should therefore be required to hold a certificate of competence for the tasks they perform.. However, demanding certificates of competence for other personnel who kill animals would be disproportionate in relation to the desired targets.

Article 7.1 in Regulation (EC) no. 1099/2009Killing of animals and associated activities may only be carried out by persons with the appropriate level of skill to do this, and without causing the animals any pain, distress or suffering that can be avoided.
Article 7.3 in Regulation (EC) no. 1099/2009
Without affecting liability in section 1 of this article, killing of fur-bearing animals must take place in the presence of and under the direct supervision of a person who holds such a certificate of competence as is referred to in article 21 and which has been issued for all the stages of the killing process performed under this person’s supervision. Business owners with fur farms must notify the authorised authority in advance when animals are to be killed.

These are described in the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations and guidelines (SJVFS 2012:27) on slaughter or killing of animals, ref. no. L22. It is important to be aware of these methods as different situations may demand the use of a different method other than the one normally used for killing on the farm.
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The picture shows a killing box used to kill mink. The box is placed on a trolley which can also transport the gas cylinders containing carbon dioxide. Photograph: SLU.

The first two modules of the course aimed to provide a more in-depth understanding of fur-bearing animals by providing information about their basic physiology and important behaviours, as well as their practical handling in connection with killing. For the welfare of the animal, it is important to take basic biological principles into account when handling the animal prior to killing. Killing must be efficient, and assessment of the death of the animal must be secure. This is crucial so as not to subject animals to unnecessary suffering. A number of methods are permitted for the killing of Ming and chinchillas.

Learning targets and estimated time required for the module

After completing this module, course participants must be able to:

• Give examples of different types of killing and when they are to be used
• Specify important aspects so that killing is as efficient as possible
• Describe the importance of the concentration of the gas and the exposure time when killing using carbon dioxide
• Explain in general terms how killing with carbon dioxide leads to death
• Describe the significance of the force of the shot, the position and aiming of the weapon and sufficient charge in order to achieve a good effect in the case of long-distance killing
• Describe the importance of amperage, time and electrical contact for efficient electrical killing
• Describe suitable indicators when checking for successful killing

Time required: It will take about 30 minutes to study the content in the module, which is 32 pages long. Your browser’s address bar at the top of the page shows you which page you are on.