AVMA updates guidelines on humane slaughter of animals

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The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recently published an updated version of its “AVMA Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of Animals.” The revised document offers best practices for veterinarians humanely ending animals’ lives in settings where these animals are destined for use as food or fiber.

The former edition of the document, published in 2016, provided guidance on the slaughter of hooved livestock such as bovids, swine, and small ruminants, as well as poultry and certain other species including finfish and crocodiles, according to a news release.¹ The latest document, published September 13, 2024, expands on this content to include ducks, geese, pheasants, quail, and ratites. It also introduces new sections on mink and other fur-bearing animals, as well as frogs, decapods, and cephalopods. According to the AVMA, another update to the guidelines involved organizing the document's chapters by species, which was done to improve readability.²

In addition to 8 species-specific chapters, the 133-page document includes the rules and regulations on slaughter in the US. Moreover, each chapter provides guidelines on techniques, facility design and slaughter process, human behavioral considerations and training, and animal behavioral considerations.³

Robert Meyer, chair of the AVMA Panel on Humane Slaughter, explained in an AVMA Axon video that these guidelines are part of a set of 3 scientifically based documents created and maintained by the association to guide humane animal killing practices, according to a news release.¹ Additionally, the AVMA has published its' AVMA Guidelines on the Euthanasia of Animals and the AVMA Guidelines on the Depopulation of Animals.

“These documents are used by veterinarians, but also by others,” Meyer said in the video, according to a news release.¹ “They are referenced—and sometimes adopted as policy—by voluntary animal care programs across sectors of the animal industry. They have been incorporated into federal, state, and local regulations. They have been used as resources for implementation of federal agency policy and they have been referenced in court cases.”

“Most importantly, they provide critical guidance for veterinarians in delivering difficult, but necessary, services for their patients and their clients every single day in practice,” he continued, according to the release.¹

The new document was started over 3 years, under the guidance of a panel of 13 veterinarians and animal scientists. The development process included a comprehensive literature review, working groups focused on specific species, and a feedback period for AVMA members, according to the AVMA.¹

Moreover, revisions included in this edition were largely influenced by member input and recent publications related to the humane slaughter of nontraditional species used for food and fiber in the US, according to the organization.¹ The guidelines do not address hunting or fishing of animals.¹

“The overriding commitment of these guidelines is to ensure that the treatment of animals during every stage of life is as humane and respectful as possible,” wrote the AVMA in statement.² “The recommendations in the guidelines are intended to guide veterinarians, who must then use professional judgment in applying them to the various settings where animals are destined for slaughter for use as food or fiber,” the organization continued.

References

1. AVMA releases expanded humane slaughter guidelines. News release. American Veterinary Medical Association. September 16, 2024. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://www.avma.org/news/avma-releases-expanded-humane-slaughter-guidelines?utm_source=delivra&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=todays-headlines-news
2. Humane slaughter. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/humane-slaughter
3. AVMA Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of Animals: 2024 Edition. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed September 17, 2024. https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2024-09/Humane-Slaughter-Guidelines-2024.pdf