S.I. No. 599/2008 - Slaughter of Animals Act 1935 (Approved Instruments) Order 2008

1. Electrodes shall be placed so that in the first instance they span the brain and when the pig is effectively stunned, the electrodes are then applied to span the heart of the pig to cause cardiac arrest.

2. The minimum current level used and duration of application shall cause immediate loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest in the pig.

3. A person using electrodes in accordance with this Order shall be competent to do so.

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister,

23 December 2008

BRENDAN SMITH,

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation).

These Regulations provide that a chamber and electrodes are approved instruments for the slaughter of pigs under the Slaughter of Animals Act 1935.

1 OJ No. L 340, of 31.12. 1993

4. (1) A person, under the direct supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner, may slaughter a pig by exposure to a combination of carbon dioxide and inert gas (such as argon) in a chamber designed, constructed and fit for that purpose as determined by reference to paragraph (2) and to Schedule 1.

(2) The design of, amount and type of gas in and manner of using a chamber for the slaughter of pigs is prescribed in Schedule 1.

5. (1) A person, under the direct supervision of a registered veterinary practitioner, may slaughter a pig using a two-cycle electrical method using electrodes, where the pig is first stunned by passing an electrical current across the brain, and then subsequently killed by passing an electric current, of sufficient strength and duration to kill the pig, across the heart, causing cardiac arrest.

(2) The manner of using electrodes for the slaughter of pigs is prescribed in Schedule 2.

Article 4(2)

SCHEDULE 1 CHAMBER

S.I. No. 599 of 2008

SLAUGHTER OF ANIMALS ACT 1935 (APPROVED INSTRUMENTS) ORDER 2008

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of

16

th January

, 2009.

WHEREAS

Council Directive 93/119/EC of 22 December 1993 on the protection of animals at the time of slaughter

1

was given effect to by the European Communities (Welfare of Farmed Animals) Regulations 2008 (

S.I. No. 14 of 2008

);

AND WHEREAS

no further measures have been implemented, consequent to subparagraph (

a

), (

b

) or (

c

) of Article 13(2) of that Council Directive, in respect of procedures to either stun or kill animals in a humane manner;

AND WHEREAS

paragraph (

d

) of the said Article 13(2) provides that pending implementation of paragraphs (

b

) and (

c

) of that Article, national rules in the matter shall apply, in compliance with the general provisions of the Treaty;

NOW

, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by section 16 of the

Slaughter of Animals Act 1935

(No. 45 of 1935) as adapted by the Agriculture and Food (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order 2007 (

S.I. No. 705 of 2007

), hereby order as follows