(a) where animals are killed: (i) during scientific experiments carried out under the supervision of a competent authority; (ii) during hunting or recreational fishing activities; (iii) during cultural or sporting events;
(b) to poultry, rabbits and hares slaughtered outside of a slaughterhouse by their owner for his/her private domestic consumption.
Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing (Text with EEA relevance)
Modified by
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/723of 16 May 2018amending Annexes I and II to Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing as regards the approval of low atmospheric pressure stunning(Text with EEA relevance), 32018R0723, May 17, 2018
(a) "killing" means any intentionally induced process which causes the death of an animal; (b) "related operations" means operations such as handling, lairaging, restraining, stunning and bleeding of animals taking place in the context and at the location where they are to be killed; (c) "animal" means any vertebrate animal, excluding reptiles and amphibians; (d) "emergency killing" means the killing of animals which are injured or have a disease associated with severe pain or suffering and where there is no other practical possibility to alleviate this pain or suffering; (e) "lairaging" means keeping animals in stalls, pens, covered areas or fields associated with or part of slaughterhouse operations; (f) "stunning" means any intentionally induced process which causes loss of consciousness and sensibility without pain, including any process resulting in instantaneous death; (g) "religious rite" means a series of acts related to the slaughter of animals and prescribed by a religion; (h) "cultural or sporting events" means events which are essentially and predominantly related to long established cultural traditions or sporting activities, including racing or other forms of competitions, where there is no production of meat or other animal products or where that production is marginal compared to the event as such and not economically significant; (i) "standard operating procedures" means a set of written instructions aimed at achieving uniformity of the performance of a specific function or standard; (j) "slaughtering" means the killing of animals intended for human consumption; (k) "slaughterhouse" means any establishment used for slaughtering terrestrial animals which falls within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 853/2004; (l) "business operator" means any natural or legal person having under its control an undertaking carrying out the killing of animals or any related operations falling within the scope of this Regulation; (m) "fur animals" means animals of the mammal species primarily reared for the production of fur such as minks, polecats, foxes, raccoons, coypu and chinchillas; (n) "depopulation" means the process of killing animals for public health, animal health, animal welfare or environmental reasons under the supervision of the competent authority; (o) "poultry" means farmed birds, including birds that are not considered to be domestic birds but which are farmed as domestic animals, with the exception of ratites; (p) "restraint" means the application to an animal of any procedure designed to restrict its movements sparing any avoidable pain, fear or agitation in order to facilitate effective stunning and killing; (q) "competent authority" means the central authority of a Member State competent to ensure compliance with the requirements of this Regulation or any other authority to which that central authority has delegated that competence; (r) "pithing" means the laceration of the central nervous tissue and spinal cord by means of an elongated rod-shaped instrument introduced into the cranial cavity.
(a) are provided with physical comfort and protection, in particular by being kept clean in adequate thermal conditions and prevented from falling or slipping; (b) are protected from injury; (c) are handled and housed taking into consideration their normal behaviour; (d) do not show signs of avoidable pain or fear or exhibit abnormal behaviour; (e) do not suffer from prolonged withdrawal of feed or water; (f) are prevented from avoidable interaction with other animals that could harm their welfare.
(a) take into account the manufacturers’ recommendations; (b) define for each stunning method used, on the basis of available scientific evidence, the key parameters set out in Chapter I of Annex I ensuring their effectiveness to stun the animals; (c) specify the measures to be taken when the checks referred to in Article 5 indicate that an animal is not properly stunned or, in the case of animals slaughtered in accordance with Article 4(4), that the animal still presents signs of life.
(a) the handling and care of animals before they are restrained; (b) the restraint of animals for the purpose of stunning or killing; (c) the stunning of animals; (d) the assessment of effective stunning; (e) the shackling or hoisting of live animals; (f) the bleeding of live animals; (g) the slaughtering in accordance with Article 4(4).
(a) the species, categories, quantities and/or weights of animals for which the equipment is intended to be used; (b) the recommended parameters corresponding to the different circumstances of use, including the key parameters set out in Chapter I of Annex I; (c) for stunning equipment, a method for monitoring the efficiency of the equipment as regards compliance with the rules laid down in this Regulation; (d) the recommendations for maintenance and, where necessary, calibration of the stunning equipment.
(a) in consultation with representatives of non governmental organisations, competent authorities and other interested parties; (b) having regard to scientific opinions as referred to in Article 20(1)(c).
(a) the maximum number of animals per hour for each slaughter line; (b) the categories of animals and weights for which the restraining or stunning equipment available may be used; (c) the maximum capacity for each lairage area.
(a) derogations from the rules set out in Annex II for mobile slaughterhouses; (b) amendments necessary to adapt Annex II to take account of scientific and technical progress.
(a) suspending or hoisting conscious animals; (b) mechanical clamping or tying of the legs or feet of animals; (c) severing the spinal cord, such as by the use of a puntilla or dagger; (d) the use of electric currents to immobilise the animal that do not stun or kill it under controlled circumstances, in particular, any electric current application that does not span the brain.
(a) the name of the persons responsible for the monitoring procedure; (b) indicators designed to detect signs of unconsciousness and consciousness or sensibility in the animals; indicators designed to detect the absence of signs of life in the animals slaughtered in accordance with Article 4(4); (c) criteria for determining whether the results shown by the indicators referred to in point (b) are satisfactory; (d) the circumstances and/or the time when the monitoring must take place; (e) the number of animals in each sample to be checked during the monitoring; (f) appropriate procedures to ensure that in the event that the criteria referred to in point (c) are not met, the stunning or killing operations are reviewed in order to identify the causes of any shortcomings and the necessary changes to be made to those operations.
(a) adult bovine animals within the meaning of Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 October 2007 establishing a common organisation of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products (Single CMO Regulation)OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1 .(b) other bovine animals: 0,50 livestock unit; (c) pigs with a live weight of over 100 kg: 0,20 livestock unit; (d) other pigs: 0,15 livestock unit; (e) sheep and goats: 0,10 livestock unit; (f) lambs, kids and piglets of less than 15 kg live weight: 0,05 livestock unit.
(a) ensure that such operations are carried out in accordance with the action plan referred to in paragraph 1; (b) take any appropriate action to safeguard the welfare of the animals in the best available conditions.
(a) the reasons for the depopulation; (b) the number and the species of animals killed; (c) the stunning and killing methods used; (d) a description of the difficulties encountered and, where appropriate, solutions found to alleviate or minimise the suffering of the animals concerned; (e) any derogation granted in accordance with paragraph 3.
(a) scientific and technical expertise relating to the approval of slaughterhouses as referred to in Article 14(2) and the development of new stunning methods; (b) scientific opinions on the instructions provided by manufacturers on the use and maintenance of restraining and stunning equipment; (c) scientific opinions on guides to good practice developed within its territory for the purposes of this Regulation; (d) recommendations for the purposes of this Regulation, in particular in relation to inspections and audits; (e) opinions on the capacity and suitability of separate bodies and entities to fulfil the requirements laid down in Article 21(2).
(a) ensuring that training courses are available for personnel involved in killing and related operations; (b) delivering certificates of competence attesting the passing of an independent final examination; the subjects of this examination shall be relevant for the categories of animals concerned and correspond to the operations referred to in Article 7(2) and (3), and to the subjects set out in Annex IV; (c) approving training programmes of the courses referred to in point (a) and the content and modalities of the examination referred in point (b).
(a) has the expertise, staff and equipment necessary to do so; (b) is independent and free from any conflict of interest as regards the final examination and the issuance of the certificates of competence.
(a) the applicant is registered in one of the training courses referred to in paragraph 1(a); (b) the applicant is to work in the presence and under the direct supervision of another person who holds a certificate of competence issued for the specific activity to be undertaken; (c) the validity of the temporary certificate does not exceed three months; and (d) the applicant provides a written declaration stating that he/she has not previously been issued another temporary certificate of competence of the same scope or demonstrates to the satisfaction of the competent authority that he/she was unable to take the final examination.
(a) require business operators to amend their standard operating procedures and, in particular, slow down or stop production; (b) require business operators to increase the frequency of the checks referred to in Article 5 and amend the monitoring procedures referred to in Article 16; (c) suspend or withdraw certificates of competence issued under this Regulation from a person who no longer shows sufficient competence, knowledge or awareness of his/her tasks to carry out the operations for which the certificate was issued; (d) suspend or withdraw the delegation of power referred to in Article 21(2); (e) require the amendment of the instructions referred to in Article 8 with due regard to the scientific opinions provided pursuant to Article 20(1)(b).
(a) the killing and related operations of animals outside of a slaughterhouse; (b) the slaughtering and related operations of farmed game as defined in point 1.6 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, including reindeer; (c) the slaughtering and related operations of animals in accordance with Article 4(4).
(a) Annex A: (i) paragraph 1 of Section I; (ii) paragraph 1 and the second sentence of paragraph 3 and paragraphs 6, 7, 8 and the first sentence of paragraph 9 of Section II;
(b) Annex C, paragraphs 3.A.2, the first subparagraph of 3.B.1, 3.B.2, 3.B.4 and paragraphs 4.2 and 4.3 of Section II.
| No | Name | Description | Conditions of use | Key parameters | Specific requirements for certain methods — Chapter II of this Annex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Penetrative captive bolt device | Not applicable. | |||
| 2 | Non-penetrative captive bolt device | Point 1. | |||
| 3 | Firearm with free projectile | Severe and irreversible damage of the brain provoked by the shock and the penetration of one or more projectiles. | Not applicable. | ||
| 4 | Maceration | Immediate crushing of the entire animal. | Point 2. | ||
| 5 | Cervical dislocation | Manual or mechanical stretching and twist of the neck provoking cerebral ischemia. | Not applicable. | Point 3. | |
| 6 | Percussive blow to the head | Firm and accurate blow to the head provoking severe damage to the brain. | Force and location of the blow. | Point 3. |
| No | Name | Description | Conditions of use | Key parameters | Specific requirements of Chapter II of this Annex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Head-only electrical stunning | Point 4. | |||
| 2 | Head-to-Body electrical stunning | Point 5. | |||
| 3 | Electrical waterbath | Point 6. |
| No | Name | Description | Conditions of use | Key parameters | Specific requirements of Chapter II of this Annex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carbon dioxide at high concentration | ||||
| 2 | Carbon dioxide in two phases | Successive exposure of conscious animals to a gas mixture containing up to 40 % of carbon dioxide, followed when animals have lost consciousness, by a higher concentration of carbon dioxide. | Not applicable. | ||
| 3 | Carbon dioxide associated with inert gases | Point 8. | |||
| 4 | Inert gases | Point 8. | |||
| 5 | Carbon monoxide (pure source) | Exposure of conscious animals to a gas mixture containing more than 4 % of carbon monoxide. | Points 9.1, 9.2 and 9.3. | ||
| 6 | Carbon monoxide associated with other gases | Exposure of conscious animals to a gas mixture containing more than 1 % of carbon monoxide associated with other toxic gases. | Point 9. | ||
| 7 | Low atmospheric pressure stunning | Exposure of conscious animals to gradual decompression with reduction in available oxygen to less than 5 %. | Points 10.1 to 10.5. |
| No | Name | Description | Conditions of use | Key parameters | Specific requirements of Chapter II of this Annex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lethal injection | Loss of consciousness and sensibility followed by irreversible death induced by the injection of veterinary medicines. | Not applicable. |
| Category of animals | Bovine animals of 6 months or older | Bovine animals less than 6 months | Animals of ovine and caprine species | Animals of porcine species | Chicken | Turkeys |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum current |
| Frequency (Hz) | Chickens | Turkeys | Ducks and geese | Quails |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 200 Hz | ||||
| From 200 to 400 Hz | Not permitted | Not permitted | ||
| From 400 to | Not permitted | Not permitted |
(a) has been suitably cooled; (b) has been sufficiently filtered; (c) is free from any irritant component or gas.
(a) the animals to move freely in the required direction using their behavioural characteristics and without distraction; (b) pigs or sheep to walk side by side, except in the case of races leading to the restraining equipment.
(a) optimise the application of the stunning or killing method; (b) prevent injury or contusions to the animals; (c) minimise struggle and vocalisation when animals are restrained; (d) minimise the time of restraint.
(a) optimise the application of stunning by gas; (b) prevent injury or contusions to the animals; (c) minimise struggle and vocalisation when animals are restrained.
(a) shall not be thrown, dropped, or knocked over; (b) where possible, shall be loaded and unloaded horizontally and mechanically;
(a) to limit urine and faeces falling on the animals placed underneath; (b) to ensure stability of the containers; (c) to ensure that ventilation is not impeded.
(a) milking dairy animals at intervals of not more than 12 hours; (b) providing appropriate conditions for suckling and the welfare of the newborn animal in the case of a female having given birth; (c) providing water in the case of animals delivered in containers.
(a) strike or kick the animals; (b) apply pressure to any particularly sensitive part of the body in such a way as to cause animals avoidable pain or suffering; (c) lift or drag the animals by the head, ears, horns, legs, tail or fleece, or handle them in such a way as to cause them pain or suffering; however, the prohibition on lifting animals by their legs shall not apply to poultry, rabbits and hares; (d) use prods or other implements with pointed ends; (e) twist, crush or break the tails of animals or grasp the eyes of any animal.
(a) strong enough not to break; (b) such as to allow the animals, if necessary, to lie down and to eat and drink; (c) designed in such a way as to eliminate any danger of strangulation or injury, and so as to allow animals to be quickly released.
| Slaughter operations listed in Article 7(2) | Subjects for examination of competence |
|---|---|
| All operations listed in Article 7(2)(a) to (g). | Animal behaviour, animal suffering, consciousness and sensibility, stress in animals. |
| Killing operations listed in Article 7(3) | Subjects for examination of competence |
|---|---|
| the killing of fur animals. |