Use of 'thoracic stick' in halal slaughter of bobby calves.
Throat cutting associated with halal slaughter of bobby calves fails to sever the vertebral arteries supplying the brain. Such slaughter may be inhumane due to calves recovering from the stun before permanent insensibility, due to blood loss, occurs. Interruption of the vertebral arteries may be achieved by severance of the brachiocephalic trunk or penetration of the heart by the use of a 'thoracic stick', an incision with a knife through the thoracic inlet.
Advances in animal welfare in New Zealand
Abstract Extract The term ‘animal welfare’ became popular in the 1970s after Ruth Harrison's book entitled “Animal Machines” (1964), which described intensive poultry and livestock farming. This book stimulated the government of the United Kingdom to establish the Brambell Committee, whose report (1965) established the concept of the “five freedoms” and encouraged scientific research into animal welfare. The veterinary profession has always considered itself to be a defender of animal welfare but has tended to specialise in the area of health and productivity with little emphasis on the psychological wellbeing of animals (Gumbrell 1983).
Assessment of some agro-technological parameters of cactus pear fruit ( Opuntia ficus-indica Mill . ) in Morocco cultivars
Cactaceae had always attracted attention by their strange shapes and important adaptability supporting extreme conditions. For this reasons, Fruit traits were measured on 13 cultivars growing in different locations in Morocco. Results show significant differences between the cultivars. The source of this variation was probably genetic without excluding the geographic effects. The Tamri, Berkan, Ait Baha cultivars showed small fruit dimensions and weight. In contrast, Sidi-Ifni M, Nador, Mohammedia and Ben Guerir were greater than 100 g by fruit. Sidi-Ifni M, Hoceima, Mohammedia and Nador, although larger, contained few seeds, about 200 seeds per fruit; while Tamri, Ait Baha, Safi, Meknes and Tafraout contained over than 230 seeds per fruit. High levels of juice about 62 ml/100 g pulp were obtained with Sidi-Ifni M, Nador, Mohammedia and Ben Guerir cultivars. Total sugars of the 13 cultivars were quite similar and pH was low in Tamri and close to neutrality in the rest of cultivars. Therefore, oil extracted from Opuntia ficus-indica seeds constituted 13.6% of the whole seed. Thin-layer chromatography in conjunction with gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed a relatively high degree of unsaturation, 83.32% and 16% for saturated fatty acid, with a linoleic acid content of 63.66% followed by oleic 18.34%, palmitic 12.84% and stearic acid 2.81%. Based on these results, O. ficus-indica seed oil appears to be a good potential source of edible oil for human and (or) animal consumption. Our investigation describes that Tamri and Tafraout cultivars are not really a commercial viable fruit due to low total soluble solids value and highest seeds number per fruit. Against Mohammedia, Sidi Ifni M and Nador cultivars proved to have the highest fruit weight, very good total soluble solids value and low number of seeds, these cultivars can therefore be planted for both fruit production and for harvesting of cladodes for animal feed.