298 Humane Slaughtering of Animals. [aug., 



to the appropriate central authority in England, Scotland, and 

 Ireland respectively to enforce uniformity in this matter upon 

 all local authorities. 



If such uniformity were enforced butchers would be able to 

 insure themselves from loss by seizure on account of tuberculosis 

 at reasonable rates in the case of animals presenting a healthy 

 appearance before slaughter, for which a fair price for the purpose 

 of human food had been given. 



The Committee, however, do not think that the case of the 

 butchers would be entirely met by provisions facilitating mutual 

 or other insurance, and among other reasons they point out 

 that the fact that the butcher bears at present the whole of the 

 risk of seizure is a strong inducement to meat traders to deal in 

 foreign meat, which was stated by several witnesses to be less 

 liable to condemnation than the meat of home-bred animals. 

 They recommend, therefore, that one-half of the loss should 

 fall upon the public, and should be provided by the Imperial 

 Exchequer. 



IH. C. 272. Price 2d.~\ 



A committee was appointed in January, 1904, by the Board of 

 Admiralty to ascertain the most humane and practicable methods 

 Humane °^ s ^ au S nterm S animals for human food, and 



Slaughtering of to investigate and report upon the existing 

 Animals. slaughter-house system. 



The main object in instituting the inquiry was a humanitarian 

 one, and the committee, therefore, were solely concerned with 

 the act of slaughter itself, and the conditions precedent thereto. 

 The committee clearly recognised from the first that it would 

 be futile to recommend any methods of slaughter, however 

 humane, which would be impracticable on the score of com- 

 plication, time, or expense, or which would in any way depreciate 

 the utility or market value of the carcases for human food. To 

 do otherwise, it is observed, would not only stultify their recom- 

 mendations, but would do away with any justification for killing 

 the animals at all. The committee, therefore, make no recom- 



