WORLD-FIRST science that guarantees animal welfare at the point of slaughter is tipped to provide a significant competitive edge for progressive red meat businesses.
Scientists at Brazil’s University of São Paulo (USP) have developed digital electroencephalography (EEG) equipment able to measure brain signals of animals after stunning.
It’s about fine tuning the advanced animal welfare process of stunning to allow for differences in slaughter lines.
The idea is to evaluate the depth of unconsciousness and the period of its duration, allowing for immediate adjustments to correct any deviation, to ensure there is no suffering.
Australia is firmly in the sights of the developers, who say the global leadership our industry carries on behalf of animal protection makes the commercial potential here enormous
Veterinary techniques used in the methodology were developed by Leonardo de La Vega, executive director of private Brazilian animal welfare specialists F&S Consulting, who are also currently rolling the product out in Europe.
The new technology, funded by private investment, provides a differential that can be used by industry to both improve the levels of quality of the meat and to ensure the welfare of animals, Dr de La Vega said.
Countries like Australia are world leaders in beef production and know they need to be aware of the world’s modern consumption trends, he said.
“In my evaluation, in a short time animal welfare will be one of the main choice criteria of most consumers at the time of purchase,” he said.
“This trend has challenged the industry to improve its production practices and communication.
“Some companies have already understood this movement and are working hard to remain competitive in this new market that valorizes not only the apparent quality of the products but also the so-called ethical quality manufacturers.
“The industries that stand out in the market, or those who are seeking to stand out from the others, need to add value to their products and to their brands.
“They know that the improvement of animal welfare practices is an excellent way to do that.”
F&S Consulting are now closing contracts with large companies in Europe who think along those lines.
F&S’ team includes members who have played prominent roles with some of the largest food companies in the world, including JBS.
The company’s commercial strategy for the second half of 2016 is to include the Australian market in its field.
“We are looking to work with Australian businesses and associations to gain a better understanding of how the technology can contribute effectively to the Australian industry,” Dr de La Vega said.
“We are ready and open to facilitate this process because we see a great potential for the exchange of experiences throughout the whole animal welfare context, which undoubtedly produces an important legacy for the sustainability of the meat industry today.”
The EEG equipment was developed by Dr Ernane Costa, a physicist, professor and researcher at USP, with the help of researcher and food engineer Luciana Piza.
They managed to adapt the electroencephalography equipment used in human medicine for use in the slaughter factory environment.
The scientists said the first major challenge was to come up with a device that would be able to register only the brain signals of animals, filtering all electrical noise present in an industrial environment.
Dr de La Vega said the veterinary methodology was a combination of practical experience and theoretical knowledge published by major research centers.
“When I realized that the control of animal welfare at slaughter was based on subjective analysis, I had the idea of extrapolating to slaughter a concept of food safety, which I used in another branch of my work as a veterinarian in the industry,” Dr de La Vega said.
“I found in the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) concept of validation, established by the Codex Alimentarius, the inspiration to think about the slaughter process differently.
“I wanted something scientific, precise, accurate, not empirical, not subjective, and found in the concept of validation in EEG a possibility.
“Today we have a feasible methodology to generate scientific evidence and to ensure the safety of welfare in the most critical moment of the animal’s life.”
How it works
THE device has three main parts: the electrodes, which are fixed around the head and in the animal's back, a small processor box that captures and sends the brain signals wirelessly, and a laptop, that functions as the receiving base and data storage and can be placed far from the animal.
“After the capture and storage of brain signals, we perform the processing of the data and compare the animal's brain behavior before and after stunning,” Dr de La Vega said.
“Basically, there is a standard of brain behavior expected for each stunning system.”
Stunning systems are designed toinduce unconsciousness.
“However, I have seen some companies with excellent stunning systems installed but without the technology to properly adjust them to the species and category of the animals slaughtered,” Dr de La Vega said.
“When we analyze the brain signals of animals that have been subjected to these systems, we can get a very accurate diagnosis of what's really happening at that stage.
“We evaluate the depth of unconsciousness and the period of its duration.
“This allows us to adjust the stunning system according to the characteristics of the animals and of the plant, including the maximum time between the stunning and bleeding stages, so that the animals remain completely unconscious until the moment of their deaths.
“When the conclusion shows a problem in the stunning, we, together with the technicians from the slaughter plant, make the necessary adjustments to correct the deviation, so that no animal is slaughtered in a non-humane way.”