tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/abbatoir-35417/articlesAbbatoir – The Conversation2023-07-10T02:24:50Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2092182023-07-10T02:24:50Z2023-07-10T02:24:50Z10 reasons humans kill animals – and why we can’t avoid it<p>As long as humans have existed, they’ve killed animals. But the necessity of some types of animal killing are now questioned by many. So can humans ever stop killing animals entirely? And if not, what’s the best way forward?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723039062">New research</a> I led investigates these questions. My colleagues and I identified the ten main reasons why humans kill animals. We found the need for some types of animal killing is questionable, but several forms are inescapable – a necessary part of humanity’s involvement in a single, functioning, finite global food web. </p>
<p>But the debate doesn’t end there. Even if humans must kill animals in some cases, they can modify their behaviours to improve the welfare of animals while they are alive, and to reduce an animal’s suffering when it is killed. </p>
<p>Doing so may improve the lives of animals to a greater extent than efforts to eliminate human killing entirely.</p>
<h2>Why humans kill animals</h2>
<p>Critics of animal-killing come from a variety of perspectives. Some oppose it on <a href="http://refhub.elsevier.com/S0048-9697(23)03906-2/rf0005">moral grounds</a>. Others claim animals should have <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.13494">rights equal</a> to humans, and say animal killing is a criminal act. Many people view any animal killing as <a href="https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cobi.13126">cruel</a>, regardless of whether the animal suffers.</p>
<p>But as valid and important as these views might be, they largely fail to address <em>why</em> humans kill animals – and why in many cases, it can’t be avoided. Our research sought to shed light on this. </p>
<p>We focus our discussion on vertebrate animals which are almost universally recognised as “sentient” (or able to perceive and feel things). We identified ten main reasons humans kill animals: </p>
<p><strong>1. Wild harvest or food acquisition:</strong> such as killing wild animals for meat</p>
<p><strong>2. Human health and safety:</strong> such as reactively killing an animal when it attacks you</p>
<p><strong>3. Agriculture and aquaculture:</strong> such as killing that occurs in the global meat industries, or killing required to produce crops</p>
<p><strong>4. Urbanisation and industrialisation:</strong> such as clearing bushland to build homes</p>
<p><strong>5. Wildlife control:</strong> such as programs that eradicate introduced animals to stop them killing native ones</p>
<p><strong>6. Threatened species conservation:</strong> such as unintentionally killing animals when relocating them</p>
<p><strong>7. Recreation, sport or entertainment:</strong> such as trophy hunting or bull fighting, and animal killing required to feed domestic pets</p>
<p><strong>8. Mercy or compassion:</strong> such as euthanasing an animal hit by a car</p>
<p><strong>9. Cultural and religious practice:</strong> such as animal sacrifice during the Islamic celebration of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/01/sydney-muslims-take-eid-al-adha-livestock-sacrifice-into-their-own-hands">Eid al-Adha</a>, or those associated with the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1594756">Yoruba</a> religion of West Africa</p>
<p><strong>10. Research, education and testing:</strong> such as the laboratory use of rodents or primates.</p>
<h2>Understanding human killing behaviour</h2>
<p>So how best should we understand the above types of animal killing? Our research considers them in ecological terms – as behaviours consistent with our predatory and competitive roles in the global food web. Such behaviours are intended to improve human prospects for acquiring food or to protect and enhance life. These are innate life objectives for any sentient animal.</p>
<p>Maintenance of all life on Earth requires obtaining, using, disposing of and recycling chemical elements. Ecosystems can be thought of as a “battleground” for these elements.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/peter-singers-fresh-take-on-animal-liberation-a-book-that-changed-the-world-but-not-enough-205830">Some people argue</a> that directly killing animals is unacceptable, or that adopting certain lifestyles or diets, such as veganism, can eliminate or greatly reduce animal killing. But in our view, achieving a no-killing lifestyle is a physical and ecological impossibility. </p>
<p>For instance, most plant foods come from crops grown on land where animals have been <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/5/1225">killed or displaced</a>. And while an animal-free diet for humans might temporarily reduce the number of animals killed, this won’t last forever. As human populations continue to grow, more land will eventually be needed to meet their food requirements. At that point, humans will have to directly or indirectly kill animals again or risk dying themselves.</p>
<p>Humans also need space to live, which <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723039062?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7e2e8f44ae1aaae3#bbb1045">results in</a> animal killing when habitat is razed.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-activists-9-out-of-10-people-are-concerned-about-animal-welfare-in-australian-farming-117077">Not just activists, 9 out of 10 people are concerned about animal welfare in Australian farming</a>
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<p>Of course, in rare cases an individual human may live without killing animals directly. Perhaps they live in a cave in the forest, and get sustenance from wild berries and mushrooms. But that human still lives inside the food web, and is competing against other animals for finite resources. In these cases, other animals may suffer and die because the human’s use of berries and caves leaves less food and space for them.</p>
<p>Even if that human could do no harm at all to any animal, it’s still impossible for societies at large to live in this way.</p>
<p>Some forms of animal killing are certainly not essential for human existence. Good examples are recreational hunting, euthanasia or keeping pets (which requires killing animals to feed them). And we certainly do not condone direct human participation in all forms of animal killing. </p>
<p>It’s also important to note that in many cases, current levels of animal killing are <a href="https://www.opsociety.org/stop-unsustainable-fishing/">unsustainable</a>. Human populations have increased to the point where animals must be killed on enormous scales to feed, house and protect ourselves. If this continues, animal <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723039062?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7e2e8f44ae1aaae3#bbb0905">populations</a> will <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723039062?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7e2e8f44ae1aaae3#bbb0910">crash</a> – and with them, human populations.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, we maintain that the overall necessity of animal killing is an unavoidable reality for humanity as a whole. A variety of direct and indirect forms of animal killing will undoubtedly remain an ongoing human endeavour. </p>
<h2>Taking responsibility</h2>
<p>So what are the implications of all this? We hope our research leads to a constructive dialogue, which starts with accepting that human existence on Earth is dependent on animal killing. It should then focus on the nuances of animal welfare and sustainability. </p>
<p>Humans are the only known animals with an ethical or moral conscience. That means we have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969723039062?ref=pdf_download&fr=RR-2&rr=7e2e8f44ae1aaae3#bbb0650">a responsibility</a> to assume a stewardship role over all other animals, to resolve negative interactions between them as best as possible, and to ensure good welfare for as many animals as we can.</p>
<p>Directing our attention in this way is likely to improve the lives of animals to a greater extent than trying to prevent humans from killing animals altogether – efforts my colleagues and I believe will ultimately be in vain.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-states-consider-animal-welfare-law-reform-what-changes-would-curb-cruelty-against-animals-201089">As the states consider animal welfare law reform, what changes would curb cruelty against animals?</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209218/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This work arose and was funded, in part, from a CIB Fellowship awarded to Benjamin Allen by the inter-institutional Centre for Invasion Biology (CIB) Centre of Excellence in South Africa, co-funded principally by the South African Department of Science and Technology through the National Research Foundation (DST-NRF).</span></em></p>Humans must kill animals in many cases, but they can still modify their behaviours to improve the welfare of animals while they are alive.Benjamin Allen, Wildlife ecologist, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1275062020-02-04T18:59:39Z2020-02-04T18:59:39ZAnimals suffer for meat production – and abattoir workers do too<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313014/original/file-20200131-41527-19c500r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C206%2C992%2C459&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There’s even a form of post-traumatic stress disorder linked to repetitive killing: Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress (PITS).
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Industrial livestock farms or factory farms account <a href="http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/en/meat/backgr_productions.html">for more than 50% of global pork and poultry meat production and 10% of beef and mutton production</a>. Graphic exposés of how animals are processed in such places rarely fail to shock us. </p>
<p>It’s important to keep the welfare of animals at these facilities at the forefront of the story. But along the way, it is worth remembering that working in these environs can have devastating impacts on abattoir employees, too. </p>
<p>Australian research <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-different-cut-Comparing-attitudes-toward-animals-Richards-Signal/16cfec2f581125597c54d9bce3680f9cea3d6d74">suggests</a> repeated exposure to violence in an abattoir causes psychological damage. It found aggression levels among meatworkers were so high they were “similar to some reported for incarcerated populations”. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2005/01/24/blood-sweat-and-fear/workers-rights-us-meat-and-poultry-plants#3a2743">Human Rights Watch</a> report also named meatpacking as “one of the most dangerous factory jobs in America, with injury rates more than twice the national average.”</p>
<p>So before you next go food shopping, its worth learning more about the human suffering behind meat production.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313205/original/file-20200203-41527-1wzl3ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/313205/original/file-20200203-41527-1wzl3ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313205/original/file-20200203-41527-1wzl3ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313205/original/file-20200203-41527-1wzl3ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313205/original/file-20200203-41527-1wzl3ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313205/original/file-20200203-41527-1wzl3ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/313205/original/file-20200203-41527-1wzl3ky.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Few people consider the human toll of meat production.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dal Peled/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>A harsh environment</h2>
<p>Research has shown the occupational hazards faced by abattoir workers include:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10329910">intense noise</a> which can result in noise-induced hearing loss</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772217/#B19-ijerph-13-00197">extreme temperatures</a> and the risks of frostbite and hypothermia</li>
<li>upper limb work-related musculoskeletal
<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/8/838">disorders</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/understanding_cafos_nalboh.pdf">exposure to harsh chemicals</a> and <a href="https://www.ajtmh.org/content/journals/10.4269/ajtmh.2007.77.893">bacteria</a>, viruses, fungi and ectoparasites. </li>
</ul>
<p>The industry also tends to have <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24707515?seq=1">high levels of turnover</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/027795369190122S">absenteeism</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whos-responsible-for-the-slaughtered-ex-racehorses-and-what-can-be-done-125551">Who's responsible for the slaughtered ex-racehorses, and what can be done?</a>
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<h2>The psychological toll</h2>
<p>The hazards are psychological as well as physical. <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1016401">One paper</a> on the psychological harm suffered by slaughterhouse employees in the US noted that abattoir workers</p>
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<p>view, on a daily basis, large-scale violence and death that most of the American population will never have to encounter.</p>
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<p>There’s even a form of post-traumatic stress disorder linked to repetitive killing: <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2002-06489-000">Perpetration-Induced Traumatic Stress (PITS)</a>. Symptoms can include depression, paranoia, panic and dissociation.</p>
<p><a href="http://vetdergikafkas.org/uploads/pdf/pdf_KVFD_1099.pdf">Another study</a> noted relatively high levels of anxiety, anger, hostility and psychoticism among slaughterhouse workers. Symptoms can also include <a href="https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/geojpovlp15&div=17&id=&page=">violent dreams</a> and some workers seek treatment similar to that used to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2002-06489-000">help war veterans</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-18/horse-racing-industry-responds-abc-investigation-animal-welfare/11615070">News reports in Australia</a> have also revealed cases of abattoir workers mistreating racehorses destined for slaughter.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, <a href="https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-different-cut-Comparing-attitudes-toward-animals-Richards-Signal/16cfec2f581125597c54d9bce3680f9cea3d6d74">Flinders University research</a> has found female abattoir workers had higher propensities for aggression – particularly physical and verbal – than their male colleagues. The study had a small sample size, but pointed to the need for more nuanced research into meatworkers, including gender differences.</p>
<h2>‘Down in the blood pit’</h2>
<p>The work is monotonous and unrelenting. Author Timothy Pachirat, who wrote about his time working at a slaughterhouse in the US, <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300192483/every-twelve-seconds">notes</a></p>
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<p>the reality that the work of the slaughterhouse centers around killing evaporates into a routinized, almost hallucinatory blur. By the end of the day […] it hardly matters what is being cut, shorn, sliced, shredded, hung, or washed: all that matters is that the day is once again, finally coming to a close.</p>
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<p>Author Gail Eisnitz, who researched the industry for a book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Shocking-Inhumane-Treatment-Industry/dp/1591024501">quoted</a> a slaughterhouse worker as saying:</p>
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<p>Down in the blood pit they say that the smell of blood makes you aggressive. And it does. You get an attitude that if that hog kicks at me, I’m going to get even. You’re already going to kill the hog, but that’s not enough. It has to suffer.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C119%2C6144%2C3964&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C119%2C6144%2C3964&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/312205/original/file-20200128-81346-1vkniob.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">It’s not an easy job.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/11/489468205/working-the-chain-slaughterhouse-workers-face-lifelong-injuries">One news investigation</a> said of employees in slaughterhouses that they are:</p>
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<p>most often immigrants and resettled refugees, slaughter and process hundreds of animals an hour, forced to work at high speeds in cold conditions, doing thousands of the same repetitions over and over, with few breaks.</p>
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<p>US researcher Stephanie Marek Muller, in her paper <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/713424/pdf?casa_token=Itx2nyk8RLsAAAAA:3HsTerJv6wcLKNTpU711y41LcOeizrD79BFEy8Tt3P010HAFC2ZEJd771KUPxgPBcvgzy230zw">Zombification, Social Death, and the Slaughterhouse: US Industrial Practices of Livestock Slaughter</a>, argued:</p>
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<p>to ignore the plight of slaughterhouse workers is to ignore a key corner of […] the pursuit of social justice</p>
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<p>Another study in the US called for a closer examination of a possible link between animal abuse and <a href="https://brill.com/view/journals/soan/12/1/article-p39_3.xml?language=en">violence</a> between humans, including in “institutionalised social practices where animal abuse is routine, widespread, and socially acceptable.”</p>
<h2>Spare a thought</h2>
<p>Meat on the consumer’s plate today is often distanced from the reality of suffering of non-humans and humans alike. </p>
<p>More research in this field is needed. But what’s clear is that working in an abattoir can be extremely taxing – both physically and psychologically.</p>
<p>So when buying farmed meat, perhaps spare a thought for not just the animals but also the workers who helped produce it.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-consumer-horror-undo-the-meat-industry-5323">Will consumer horror undo the meat industry?</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tani Khara is part of the Researcher Network at the Vegan Society UK. She also occasionally volunteers with the Sydney Dogs and Cats home. </span></em></p>The hazards are both psychological and physical.Tani Khara, PhD student in Sustainability, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/718202017-02-09T15:12:35Z2017-02-09T15:12:35ZFrom farm to table: poor hygiene in slaughterhouses in rural Kenya<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/155652/original/image-20170206-18980-gzgsdh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Slaughterhouses in parts of rural Kenya don't adhere to basic hygiene standards.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Stafford Ondego</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>-Most people in the world never see the inside of a slaughterhouse. This is true in Kenya where concerns have been raised about the health risks associated with slaughterhouses, particularly in rural parts of the country.
The Conversation Africa’s Health and Medicine Editor Joy Wanja Muraya spoke to Veterinary Epidemiologist Elizabeth Cook about the condition of slaughterhouses in rural Kenya and the risks they pose to public health.</em></p>
<p><strong>What are the working conditions and practices in rural Kenya’s slaughterhouses?</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-016-3923-y">Research</a> we conducted in western Kenya in the <a href="https://www.maji.go.tz/?q=en/content/lake-victoria-basin">Lake Victoria Basin</a> area bordering Uganda showed that most slaughterhouses had poor working conditions and practices. </p>
<p>We interviewed 738 workers in 142 slaughterhouses in Busia, Bungoma, Kakamega and Siaya counties. Slaughterhouses were located close to market centres where animals could be transported by foot or bicycle and meat supplied to the surrounding area. The facilities were small with an average of seven workers and had low throughput, slaughtering an average of five animals per week.</p>
<p>The majority of slaughterhouses lacked adequate infrastructure. Almost a third of buildings didn’t have a roof. Workers and carcasses were exposed to the sun, rain and other elements. Only four slaughterhouses had piped water, suggesting these facilities were not effectively cleaned. </p>
<p>Almost half the slaughterhouses didn’t have appropriate sanitation amenities, such as latrines and hand-washing facilities.</p>
<p>Personal hygiene practices among workers were also poor: only half said they wore protective aprons and shoes. Almost 20% admitted to slaughtering sick animals, potentially exposing them and consumers to diseases transmitted from animals to man. These are known as <a href="http://zdukenya.org/">zoonotic diseases</a>. Workers also ate and smoked at the slaughterhouse, which increased the risk of transmitting disease causing germs.</p>
<p><strong>What public health concerns emerged in your study?</strong></p>
<p>The biggest public health concern was the potential spread of disease to people consuming meat. Animals were slaughtered on the ground. This increased the risk of meat being contaminated with faecal pathogens such as <a href="http://www.about-ecoli.com/">E. coli</a>, <a href="http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/tc/salmonellosis-topic-overview">Salmonella</a> and <a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs255/en/">Campylobacter</a>.</p>
<p>Inspection of the animal before slaughtering was practised at less than 10% of slaughterhouses. Sick animals weren’t removed from the slaughter process, increasing the risk of passing on the diseases to the community and placing workers at risk of zoonotic diseases, such as, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/">brucellosis </a>, <a href="http://www.who.int/zoonoses/diseases/leptospirosis/en/">leptospirosis</a>, and <a href="http://waddl.vetmed.wsu.edu/animal-disease-faq/q-fever">Q fever</a>. </p>
<p>There were also risks associated with sick workers at the slaughterhouses. 10% reported having stomach disorders in the 12 months preceding the survey. Additionally, 4% reported breathing difficulties. When handling carcasses, the workers didn’t wear gloves or masks thus increasing their risk of contracting infections and passing the germs to other people.</p>
<p>Injuries in workers were due to physically strenuous work: for example carcasses were hoisted onto beams using ropes, resulting in about half of the workers complaining of backaches. A quarter reported receiving <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/08/11/489468205/working-the-chain-slaughterhouse-workers-face-lifelong-injuries">other injuries</a> at work every month. 8% of workers had a wound at the time of interview. </p>
<p><strong>What are the challenges in adhering to regulations?</strong></p>
<p>The national standards were defined by the Kenyan government in the <a href="http://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/meat-control-local-slaughterhouses-licensing-regulations-2011-cap-356-lex-faoc106272/">Meat Control Act of 2012</a>. It calls for proper infrastructure to be put in place, including observing hygiene practices in slaughterhouses. Our study found that slaughterhouses didn’t meet these requirements because of ignorance about the health risks.</p>
<p>Only a third of workers were aware that animals can be a source of disease and less than half of them understood that meat could be a source of disease.</p>
<p>The inadequate facilities and poor infrastructure result from a lack of investment in the industry. The region has a large number of households living on less than <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/02/29/reviving-lake-victoria-by-restoring-livelihoods">a dollar a day</a>. Households can’t afford to purchase animal proteins like meat. </p>
<p>Improving facilities would lead to increased meat prices, which might make this important protein source unaffordable. This might increase the amount of backyard slaughter that cannot be regulated by the veterinary department.</p>
<p>Regulations require that every animal and all meat should be inspected before sale. But we found there was only one inspector for every five slaughterhouses. And they were forced to travel long distances by public transport or motorbike, delaying their ability to inspect the animals.</p>
<p><strong>How can these concerns be addressed? What would be the expected health benefits?</strong></p>
<p>Educating workers, butchers and inspectors about the risks of meat contamination and other health hazards at work is the <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6557e/X6557E01.htm">first step</a> towards improving the public health status of the slaughterhouses.</p>
<p>This would require training in <a href="http://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=198&printable=1">safe food handling practices</a> such as clean removal of the animal’s abdominal contents, appropriate meat storage and hand washing. Workers and inspectors should understand the importance of animal inspection. Inspectors also need to be empowered to enforce regulations.</p>
<p>Investment in infrastructure could lead to phasing out the smaller substandard facilities and focusing on centralised bigger facilities where the economies of scale might keep meat prices from escalating. </p>
<p>But centralising the industry would also require improvements to <a href="http://www.wpsa-foodsafety.com/?item=199">transport networks</a> and refrigeration for the delivery of meat to remote areas.</p>
<p>Mechanisation could resolve some of the challenges related to carcass handling and reduce the physical strain on workers.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.cfs.gov.hk/english/multimedia/multimedia_pub/multimedia_pub_fsf_126_02.html">One Health approach</a> to disease surveillance could be implemented to monitor zoonotic diseases in slaughterhouses. Public health workers should be made aware of the potential for slaughterhouse workers to be sentinels of diseases in animals and people. </p>
<p>Monitoring slaughterhouse workers might be a cost effective method of detecting diseases that are transmitted from animals to man.</p>
<p>Improvements to the meat industry could improve occupational and food safety in the region.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/71820/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Cook received funding from the Medical Research Council and support was also received from the The Wellcome Trust and the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH), led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). We acknowledge the CGIAR Fund Donors (<a href="http://www.cgiar.org/who-we-are/cgiar-fund/fund-donors-2">http://www.cgiar.org/who-we-are/cgiar-fund/fund-donors-2</a>). </span></em></p>Slaughterhouses are an essential step in meat production. Hygiene standards need to be maintained to prevent the spread of diseases.Elizabeth Cook, Veterinary epidemiologist, International Livestock Research Institute Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.