Report of the Committee appointed by the Admiralty to consider the humane slaughtering of animals, with appendix.

  • Great Britain. Committee on Humane Slaughtering of Animals.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Committee appointed by the Admiralty to consider the humane slaughtering of animals, with appendix. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/38 (page 5)
    REPORT. 1. This Committee was appointed in January, 1904, at the instance of the Board of Admiralty; and included representatives of the War Office, Board of Agriculture, London County Council, and City of London. These Government Departments and Public Bodies showed their interest in the inquiry by the nomination of some of their principal officers to serve on the Committee, and an examination of the personnel will show its representative character. OBJECT OF ENQUIRY. 2. The main object in instituting the inquiry was a humanitarian one, and the Committee, therefore, were solely concerned with the act of slaughter itself, and the conditions precedent thereto. The hygienic side of the question, whilst of the utmost importance, is beyond the scope of the Terms of Reference, and, moreover, has been exhaustively dealt with in scientific works such as Dr. Schwarz’s “ Public Abattoirs and Cattle Markets.” The Committee have clearly recognised from the first that it would be futile to recommend any methods of slaughter, however humane, which would be impracticable on the score of complication, time, or expense, or which would in any way depreciate the utility or market value of the carcases for human food. To do otherwise would not only stultify their recommendations, but would do away with any justification for killing the animals at all. The Committee, therefore, make no recommendations which, In their opinion, are not strictly business-like and which have not been clearly «demonstrated to be practical. . METHOD OF PROCEDURE. 3. The Committee have examined a large number of witnesses of unrivalled experience in the existing methods of slaughter and in super- vision of the same. Amongst these may be mentioned the following :— The Chief Veterinary Inspector of the Board of Agriculture at Deptford Cattle Market, The Chief Veterinary Inspector of the City of London at Islington Cattle Market, Dr. Carl Budding, Member of the Prussian Local (Government Board, Coblenz, Inspectors in the Public Health Department of the London County Council, | The Chief Meat Inspector, City of Liverpool, The Superintendent, Edinburgh Public Abattoir, The Master Butcher in charge of the Army Abattoir at Aldershot, The Navy Master Butcher at Gosport. They have also examined witnesses nominated by the Association of Master Butchers, and the Royal Society forthe Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, besides practical butchers and certain private individuals who have made a particu- lar study of the subject. They have further had the advantage of consulting Mr. H. ©. Monro, one of the Assistant Secretaries of the Local Government Board, as to the existing powers of Loca] Authorities with regard to slaughter-houses. A verbatim report of the evidence is printed separately. 4. The Committee have further obtained full information as to the methods in use, and the regulations in force, in certain foreign countries, a summary of which is printed in Appendix A. Special attention is directed to the practice in Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, where the whole business of slaughtering is systematised, regulated, and supervised to a far greater extent than in this country. 604. 1872. 369. 118. 233. 1307 ; 945 ; 784; 873; 531.