Home slaughter
In Germany, slaughter outside of commercial slaughterhouses is referred to as home slaughter , usually at the farm of the animal owner, whereby the slaughtered meat is used exclusively in the animal owner's own household . The pig is a typical animal for home slaughter , but cattle , sheep , goats , horses , chickens , rabbits and donkeys are also slaughtered.
Domestic slaughter of farm animals
A home slaughter is a slaughter in which a farm animal is slaughtered for personal use. Usually young, female animals are slaughtered for this purpose.
The animal must be shot with the nail gun to stunning it . To do this, the butcher pushes himself from the side to the animal, strokes it soothingly on the back and neck and follows its movements with the stunning device that is ready to fire. Only when the animal stands still and lifts its head a little does it apply the gun and pull the trigger. By operating the trigger, a bolt is shot about 10 cm into the animal's brain and parts of the brain are destroyed. This will stun the animal and collapse.
The actual slaughter takes place after the animal is cut off. In house slaughter this usually happens lying down. For parting, the butcher kneels from behind on the neck of the animal, puts one foot in front of its mouth and then pulls the head back with the rubber boot until the neck is tight and cuts the throat with a sharp knife. Slaughter is right when the blood gushes out in a powerful gush when the knife is pulled out.
The blood that escapes is usually collected and stirred to prevent clotting . It is mostly used for black pudding or the like. It is also typical that in addition to the meat, all usable parts are used and everything is processed immediately ( warm slaughter ).
- Only those who have the necessary knowledge and skills may kill a vertebrate (Section 4 (1) of the Animal Welfare Act ).
- It is not permitted to give the meat to others.
Legal regulations in Germany
- In Germany , an examination by official veterinarians ( ante-mortem examination = live examination) is carried out before slaughter for further marketing
- After the slaughter, the official veterinarians conduct a meat examination as a further examination , and in the case of pigs and solipeds, an additional examination of the trichinae .
- Cattle , pigs , sheep , goats and other ungulates, horses and other equidae are subject to official ante-mortem and meat inspection if their meat is intended for further marketing for human consumption.
- In the case of rabbits and poultry , the ante-mortem and meat inspection may be omitted if the slaughterer does not discover any critical features on the carcass.
- In the same way, feral game is to be examined if it is killed by any means other than killing (e.g. game from enclosures).
- After slaughter, the so-called Specified Risk Material (SRM) is disposed of by an animal carcass disposal facility.
- Only those who have the necessary knowledge and skills may kill a vertebrate (Section 4 (1) of the Animal Welfare Act ).
See also
In some parts of Germany, the day of slaughter used to be a feast day. That is why one spoke of a slaughter festival .