Whyaresuchprimitivemethods,universallycondemned as
inhumane, stillin use? Thereasonis thesameasin other
aspectsofanimalraising:ifhumaneprocedurescostmoreor
reducethenumberofanimalsthatcanbekilledperhour,a
firmcannotaffordtoadopthumanemethodswhileitsrivals
continuetousetheoldmethods.Thecostofthechargeused
to fire thecaptivebolt pistol, though only a few centsper
animal,issufficient todeterslaughterhousesfrom usingit.
Electricalstunningischeaperinthelongrun,butinstallation
isexpensive.Unlessthelawforcesslaughtererstoadoptone
of these methods they may not be used.
Theothermajorloopholeinthehumaneslaughterlawsisthat
slaughteraccordingtoareligiousritualneednotcomplywith
theprovisionthattheanimalbestunnedbeforebeingkilled.
Orthodox Jewish and Moslem dietary laws forbid the
consumptionofmeatfromananimalwhoisnot“healthyand
moving” whenkilled. Stunning, which is thoughtto cause
injuryprior tocutting thethroat,istherefore unacceptable.
Theideabehindtheserequirementsmayhavebeentoprohibit
theeatingoffleshfromananimalwhohadbeenfoundsickor
dead; as interpreted by the religiously orthodox today,
however, the law also rules out making the animal
unconsciousafewsecondsbeforeitiskilled.Thekillingis
supposedto be carried out with a singlecutwith a sharp
knife,aimedatthejugularveinsandthecarotidarteries.At
thetimethismethodofslaughterwaslaiddowninJewishlaw
it was probably more humane than any alternative; now,
however, it is less humane, under the best circumstances,
than, for example,
theuseofthecaptive-boltpistoltorenderananimalinstantly
insensible.