Shangdong adopts humane kill policy
Print Edition
THE eastern province of Shandong has adopted a rule on the humane slaughter of chicken, the first for poultry in China.
Under Shandong’s standard for the slaughter of chicken, stress relief measures should be taken when seizing, transporting, loading and unloading the animals.
Workers need to use special tools to seize chicken or use two hands to grasp both wings instead of a single wing. Pulling and dragging chickens is also banned. Stunning methods, such as the use of gas, should be used before slaughter.
Shandong is the country’s leading chicken producer and exporter. Drafting of the standard was led by Qingdao Agricultural University and several food producers, including Nine-Alliance Group.
“We began to study the requirements of animal welfare abroad in 2003. As our clients from the European Union value animal welfare a lot, we adopted humane handling of chicken very early,” said Yang Shengren, a quality supervisor with the company. The company exports 25 percent of its products to the EU, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East.
Measures taken include maintaining comfortable temperatures in the summer and winter, and using electric stunning before slaughter, he said.
Humane breeding and slaughter have increased the company’s costs by about 2 million yuan (US$300,000) per year.
“But it makes our products better and more acceptable to foreigners and our goods can be exported to more countries,” said Yang.
The Chinese Veterinary Medical Association began to draft welfare criteria in November covering pigs, chicken, sheep and cattle.
(Xinhua)
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