Time to collapse following slaughter without stunning in cattle

Time to physical collapse was examined in 174 cattle which were restrained in the upright position and then released immediately from the restraint following the halal cut. The frequencies of swelling and false aneurysm in the cephalic and cardiac severed ends of the arteries were recorded. Fourteen percent of the cattle collapsed and stood up again before finally collapsing. The average time to final collapse for all the cattle was 20 s (sd ± 33). In 8% of the animals time to final collapse was ⩾60 s. Seventy-one percent of the cattle that took more than 75 s to collapse had false aneurysms in the cardiac ends of the severed carotid arteries. The frequency of swelling at the cephalic severed ends of the carotid arteries in 129 cattle was 7%. Failure to collapse within 60 s was associated with swelling of the cephalic ends of the carotid arteries.