Animal slaughter
Animal slaughter is the killing of animals for human consumption, usually followed by processing their bodies into meat and other products.
Animal stunning: The deliberate rendering of an animal unconscious before killing, usually to reduce pain and distress. Pre-slaughter stunning is a major method for preventing conscious suffering during killing.
Meat: Animal tissue, especially skeletal muscle, used as food. Slaughter produces the carcasses from which most meat is obtained.
Pre-slaughter stunning: Rendering an animal unconscious before cutting or killing it for meat. It contrasts with slaughter methods that cut the animal while it remains conscious.
Slaughter of pregnant livestock: The killing of farm animals that are pregnant, sometimes leaving an unborn fetus alive after the mother dies. It exposes welfare concerns that can continue after the slaughtered animal’s death.
Exsanguination: The loss of blood from the body, whether through injury, surgery, or deliberate cutting. Cutting major blood vessels causes death in many slaughter methods.
Livestock: Farmed animals raised for food, fiber, labor, or other human uses. Commercial slaughter chiefly concerns livestock raised for meat.
Religious slaughter: Animal killing for food carried out according to religious rules, especially Jewish or Islamic requirements. Its requirements shape debates about stunning, restraint, and slaughter practice.
Meat inspection: The examination of animals and carcasses to detect disease, contamination, or other conditions affecting food safety. Inspection helps prevent unsafe products from entering the food supply.
Captive bolt pistol: A device that kills or stuns animals by driving a metal bolt into or against the skull. It is a common tool for stunning cattle and other large farm animals.
Animal welfare: The physical and mental condition of animals, including their health, comfort, and capacity to experience suffering. Welfare standards evaluate handling, restraint, stunning, and killing.