Study: New approach to poultry stunning may improve bird welfare
A study conducted by researchers in Scotland and the Netherlands strongly suggests that a new form of poultry stunning is likely more humane than alternative approaches to rendering birds unconscious prior to slaughter. The results of the study appear in a recent issue of Poultry Science, a journal published by the Poultry Science Association (PSA), in an article entitled “Physiological Responses to Low Atmospheric Stunning and the Implications for Welfare” (D. E. F. McKeegan et al; 2013 Poultry Science 92 :858–868). The complete article is available for download at http://dx.doi.org/10.3382/ps.2012-02749).
In a recent conversation, the paper’s lead author, Dr. Dorothy McKeegan of the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow, spoke about some of the factors behind her team’s research on a new approach, called low atmospheric pressure stunning (LAPS):