AVMA releases expanded humane slaughter guidelines

The newest version of the AVMA Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of Animals published September 13 with notable additions to many sections of the document.

The content of the 2016 edition addressed the slaughter of hooved livestock species, such as bovids, swine, and small ruminants; poultry; and selected species, such as fin fish and crocodilians. The 2024 edition updates this content; provides additional information on ducks, geese, pheasants, quail, and ratites; and adds new sections on mink and other fur-bearing animals, frogs, decapods, and cephalopods.

The guidelines are presented in a user-friendly format in which chapters are arranged according to species.

The latest AVMA Guidelines on the Humane Slaughter of Animals contains new sections on fur-bearing animals and frogs as well as additional information on poultry.

The document was developed over a three-year period that began in 2021. An expert panel of 13 veterinarians and animal scientists oversaw the process, which involved a comprehensive literature review, species-focused working groups, and an AVMA member comment period. AVMA member feedback and multiple new publications addressing humane slaughter of non-traditional species killed for food and fiber in the United States prompted many of the changes seen in this edition.

The guidelines provide recommendations for veterinarians who must apply them to the various settings where animals are destined for slaughter for use as food or fiber. They do not address methods and techniques involved in the killing of animals hunted for food.

In an AVMA Axon video accompanying the guidelines' release, Dr. Robert Meyer, chair of the AVMA Panel on Humane Slaughter, explained that, in addition to the many policies and educational resources the AVMA produces to support end-of-life decision making, the humane slaughter guidelines are one of three scientifically based documents the Association has developed and maintains on the humane killing of animals. The two others are the 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," Dr. Meyer said. "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."

Dr. Meyer described the AVMA guidelines as a "living document" that can be updated as new information becomes available or as needed. A full review of each of these documents is required once every 10 years; however, reviews can, and often are, conducted more frequently. The AVMA guidelines' panels and working groups will continue to serve as a resource for questions and support potential interim updates, Dr. Meyer added.

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