asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he will prohibit the slaughter of sheep and pigs by knifing and insist on the use of a humane killer.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Methods of Slaughter of Sheep and Pigs.
The slaughter of sheep, otherwise than by means of a humane killer, is already prohibited under the Slaughter of Animals Act, 1935, except in the case of sheep slaughtered in accordance with the rites of certain religions. The prohibition has not been applied to pigs, as it is generally agreed that the use of the stunning apparatus in the case of those animals affects proper bleeding and has an injurious effect on the bacon. For that reason it is not proposed to extend the compulsory use of the humane killer to pigs. I may say, however, that the majority of pigs are slaughtered in bacon factories under supervision of inspectors of my Department who take every care to ensure that slaughtering is carried out in a humane manner.