Applications have opened for the 2015 humane slaughter award, which is run annually to acknowledge significant advances in the humane slaughter of farmed livestock.
Organised by the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA), the award carries a £3000 prize while focusing public attention on the association’s commitment to education, training, research and technical developments in relation to achieving high standards of welfare for food animals at markets, during transport and at slaughter.
“Very large numbers of farmed livestock are slaughtered daily around the world to provide food and other resources for human benefit,” said HSA. “It is important that slaughter methods are as humane as possible and that they approach as closely as possible the ideal of not causing any fear or pain.
“Great advances have been made in this field in recent decades and work in pursuit of further improvements is continuing.”
Past winners include Wageningen University’s Dr Bert Lambooij, the IRTA/UAB Animal Welfare Research Group, Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA)/Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the Stunning and Slaughter Group of the University of Bristol Veterinary School.
