Since the Hallmark/Westland incident this past February, the USDA has stepped up enforcement of the Humane Slaughter Act. I have received many calls about disputes over whether or not an animal was insensible. The most common mistake is saying that an animal with kicking reflexes is conscious. This is wrong. The most important part of the animal to look at is the head and neck. When the animal is hung on the rail, the head should be limp and floppy like a dish rag. Below is an outline of the signs of return to sensibility. If any one of these signs is present, the animal must be re-stunned before dressing procedures start. The American Meat Institute’s guidelines have a zero tolerance for skinning, scalding, leg removal or any other dressing procedure if the animal is showing a sign of return to sensibility.

Signs of insensibility include:

1. No rhythmic breathing where the ribs move in and out.

2. No corneal reflex in response to touch. Use the tip of a pen to test this in sheep and pigs.

3. No natural eye blinking – Look at animals in the stockyard so you know what this looks like.

4. No response of the animal or the pupil when a light is shined in the eye.

5. No righting reflex when hung on the rail. A sensible animal will lift its head and the back will be arched and stiff. A momentary flop of the head when a leg kicks is not a righting reflex. The head and neck should be loose and floppy. On old cows, a slight sideways neck flex is allowed.

6. No vocalization, squeal, moo, or bellow.

7. No responses to a pinprick, or pinch on the nose (should be applied to nose only).

8. No nose twitching like a rabbit.

9. No stiff curled tongue.

If any one of the above signs is present, the animal is returning to sensibility. This would constitute a failed third party audit for a restaurant company. In most properly stunned animals, you do not need to check all nine variables. If the head is limp and floppy and the tongue is extended and completely limp and flaccid, the animal is correctly stunned. This indicator can be used for all stunning methods. Sometimes the tongue gets stuck inside the jaw so it is possible to have a correctly stunned animal with no visible tongue. On these animals, the eyes should be checked.

There are some differences when determining insensibility between captive bolt stunned animals and electric stunned. For captive bolt, both penetrating and non-penetrating the eye must have a wide blank stare. Nystagmus, where the eye rapidly vibrates, must be absent. For electric stunning of all species, nystagmus in some of the animals is allowed. Nystagmus should not be confused with blinking or a corneal reflex, which are signs of returning to sensibility for all stunning methods. On electrically stunned animals, it is permissible to have some gasping like a fish out of water. Gasping must be absent when using captive bolt stunners. In summary, the head must be dead. Hopefully these refresher guidelines will help ensure accurate determination of insensibility.