All fish that are caught for eating must be handled carefully to reduce stress and humanely killed as soon as possible after capture. Humane killing requires that the fish is stunned (rendered instantaneously insensible) before being bled out. Fish should remain in water until immediately prior to stunning. There are…
An abattoir is a facility that slaughters animals to produce meat and meat products for human consumption. A poultry processor is a facility that slaughters specifically poultry to produce meat and meat products for human consumption. State and territory governments regulate animal welfare in Australia. Animal welfare regulation at Australian…
Closed circuit television (CCTV) and similar technologies can be excellent additional animal welfare monitoring tools at facilities where large numbers of animals are received and handled daily, such as slaughtering establishments, saleyards, and other commercial facilities. However, CCTV cannot replace in-person monitoring, nor can it replace well-trained staff with good…
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is first and foremost an international reference point for matters relating to animal health. However, in 2001, animal welfare was identified as a priority and a decision was made to develop standards for a range of animal welfare practices. The standards in the…
RSPCA Australia considers that the available scientific evidence demonstrates that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and suffering. Fish must therefore be treated humanely and practices that have the potential to cause pain, injury or suffering avoided. Live fish and shellfish may be held in aquaria in restaurants…
Crustaceans show responses consistent with signs of pain and distress [1–5]. They also have the cognitive capacity to remember and learn to avoid unpleasant stimuli [6–8]. The RSPCA considers that, where crustaceans capable of experiencing pain and suffering are captured, handled, transported, stored and killed, that this must be done…
Low Atmospheric Pressure Stunning (LAPS) is a form of stunning (inducing unconsciousness prior to slaughter) which may offer significant welfare improvements over the main commercial methods of gas and electrical stunning currently used for poultry. Its use in Australia should be considered. How does LAPS work? In a LAPS system,…
Crustaceans are a group of invertebrate animals, which most notably include crabs, crayfish, lobsters, and prawns. Whether they are protected under State and Territory animal welfare legislation depends upon the definition of ‘animal’ in each jurisdiction. In the majority of jurisdictions, animals are defined as ‘vertebrate animals’. However, in the…
Cephalopods are a group of invertebrate animals, which include octopi, squid, cuttlefish and nautili. The protection of cephalopods under animal welfare legislation is dependent upon the definition of ‘animal’ in the animal welfare legislation of each State and Territory. In the majority of jurisdictions, animals are defined as vertebrate animals….
Scientific evidence that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and suffering has been building for some years. It has now reached a point where the sentience of fish is acknowledged and recognised by leading scientists across the world. For this reason, RSPCA Australia believes that fishing practices should ensure…