Paper focuses on an aspect related to Halal slaughter

During CTEC Halal, FAMBRAS Halal quality technical manager Soha Chabrawi presented a comparative study of rotary and conventional restraining boxes used in Halal slaughter. Both devices restrain the cattle to help protect the slaughterman from risk.

Soha Chabrawi holds a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Brasília, a master's degree in Neuropsychopharmacology from the University of Brasília, and a PhD in Neuroscience and Cognition from the Federal University of ABC. She has worked at the certification body for seven years.

Dr. Soha, what led you to choose this topic for your work? What did you hope to achieve through it?

Many plants currently use pneumatic stunning because of the risk of cutting an animal's throat while it is still alive. Since some of our markets do not permit this type of stunning, an alternative would be to use a rotating restraint box so the animal cannot reach the slaughterman, reducing the risk to the animal. In addition, scientific evidence shows that this benefits the animal—it feels less pain when its throat is cut while alive than when stunned—and also improves meat quality.

Could you explain in simple terms what a conventional box is?

The conventional box is a device into which the animal enters and is restrained for slaughter. Some researchers refer to it as a restraint box. In this conventional box, the animal is positioned naturally, with its feet on the floor, and its head rests on the chin rest for slaughter.

And what about the rotating box?

The rotating box is a restraining device that turns 180 degrees, positioning the animal with its legs facing upward. This makes the neck more accessible to the slaughterer from an ergonomic standpoint. Research shows that in some situations this position may even be less stressful for the animal. Other studies have shown an increase in corticosteroid levels. Therefore, there is no clear consensus on this point. What is known, however, is that it is highly effective in attempting to replace the use of any type of stunning equipment.

In your work, you raised two concerns. The first was animal welfare. What does Halal slaughter require in this regard?

Halal slaughter and animal welfare go hand in hand. One cannot exist without the other, as the foremost principle of Halal slaughter is to carry out the ritual with respect for the animal and to minimize its suffering. Every stage of Halal slaughter upholds the principles of animal welfare: the rest period before slaughter; how an animal is positioned in the restraining box or, in the case of poultry, on the shackle line; ensuring the animal has access to water before slaughter; and taking care that the animal neither sees nor smells blood before being slaughtered, nor sees the slaughtering instrument—the knife. All these precautions are mandatory requirements of Halal slaughter and help minimize the animal’s suffering before slaughter.

What conclusions did you draw from your study? What needs to be done to ensure animal welfare?

The study itself did not focus on animal welfare, as this is already ensured by halal slaughter. Instead, the study compared animal stress in a conventional box and a rotating box. The statistical analysis did not show that animals slaughtered in the rotating box suffered less than those slaughtered in the conventional box, but our sample size was too small to reach a definitive conclusion. However, several stress parameters indicated a trend suggesting that animals slaughtered in the rotating box may suffer less. In addition, the slaughterman's physical effort was noticeably lower with this equipment.

In your work, you stated that “compared with a conventional box, the rotating box used in Brazil offers simple ergonomic advantages and is safer for the slaughterer, as it causes fewer back and wrist injuries.” How can this information reach slaughterhouses to protect the health of the slaughterer? What are the expectations in this regard?

Through extensive training and awareness-raising at meatpacking plants.

Finally, how would you assess CTec Halal?

As this was the first time, I really think it was very well organized, including the variety of topics presented. However, it was clear that many of the evaluators had not read the papers, and I believe this influenced their final questions. Another point is that the presentation time was also too short to explain a complex paper. I suggest reviewing these points.