Facts About Irish Farm Animals - ELECTRO-IMMOBILISATION
(alternate spellings: electroimmobilisation, electro immobilisation)

Compassion-Ireland welcomed the decision by the Irish Government to ban electro-immobilisation

Electro-immobilisation was banned in the Republic of Ireland, with the ban effective from 1st September 2007. Compassion-Ireland, which had been campaigning for such a ban since 2004, very much welcomed this decision.
Read "The Use Of Electro-immobilisation On Live Farm Animals In Ireland" by the Minister's Scientific Advisory Committee on Animal Health and Welfare.
Read the Statutory Instrument that bans electro-immobilisation, entitled "S.I. No. 197 of 2007 "Protection Of Animals Kept For Farming Purposes (Electro-immobilisation) Regulations 2007".

What is electro-immobilisation?

Note that spelling varies, e.g. electro-immobilisation, electroimmobilisation, electro-immobilization, electroimmobilization etc.

Electro-immobilisation is the use of pulsed, low frequency electrical current to produce restraint of an animal. It produces tetanic contractions* of skeletal muscles and therefore voluntary movement is not possible. Movement is regained as soon as the current is switched off. (* Fusion of a number of simple spasms into an apparently smooth, continuous effort, is known as tetanic contraction.)

Throughout the electro-immobilisation process, the animal remains completely consious.

This photo shows an animal frothing at the mouth during electro-immobilisation (photo not taken in Ireland).

Electro-immobilisation should not be confused with electric stunning which, when applied correctly, causes a high amperage current to be passed through the brain, rendering the animal instantly unconscious. When electro-immobilisation is used, a small current is passed through the body, paralysing the muscles but not making the animal unconscious.

What equipment is used?

Electro-immobilisation equipment consists of a unit that produces the electrical current (this looks a bit like a large torch), and then wires with attachments to be put on to the animal. Another design of electro-immobilising machine uses a probe that is inserted into the animal's anus.

How is electro-immobilisation carried out?

There are three main methods of electro-immobilisation that can be used:
Nose-to-tail or head to tail. Electrodes are attached to the head of the animals usually via an electrode clip attached to the corner of the mouth or cheek and also to the caudal fold on the tail of the animal using a needle.
Back-to-tail. Electrodes are inserted above the lumbar vertebra and through the caudal fold of the tail.
Rectally. An electrode is inserted into the rectum.

The current is then switched on at a low current. The current is then increased, resulting in immobility and rigidity of the animal. Sometimes this paralyses the animal's respiratory muscles and the animal stops breathing. The current must then be reduced and the animal will start to breath again. Breathing is often laboured. Use of excessive current can lead to death.

This photo shows electro-immobilisation in use (not in Ireland).

What animals is electro-immobilisation used on?

Electro-immobilisation can potentially be used on a range of species such as cattle, deer and sheep.

What is electro-immobilisation used for, and by whom?

Electro-immobilisation is used to make animals that are hard to handle stay still while procedures such as dehorning are carried out. Even though a local anasthetic may be used for some procedures, it is the electro-immobilisation process itself that animals find distressing.

Is electro-immobilisation legal in the Republic of Ireland?

Is electro-immobilisation legal in other countries?

Electro-immobilisation is prohibited in the UK. “The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2000 (Statutory Instrument 2000 No. 1870)” says: "No person shall apply an electrical current to any animals for the purposes of immobilisation." (Schedule 1, paragraph 30). Similar wording appears in the "The Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations 2000" for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Electro-immobilisers are banned in New South Wales, Australia, except when used by specifically trained veterinarians during procedures where analgesia or anaesthesia is not required. Tasmania has similar restrictions to New South Wales.

The European Union has not banned electro-immobilisation. However, a restriction for its use is provided in Article 3 of Council Directive 98/58/EC on the protection of animals kept for farming purposes: "Member States shall make provision to ensure that the owners or keepers take all responsible steps to ensure the welfare of animals under their care and to ensure that those animals are not caused any unnecessary pain, suffering or injury."

Why should electro-immobilisation be banned

The science shows that animals find electro-immobilisation aversive, physically stressful, psychologically stressful, noxious and unpleasant (see references below).

The report on "The Use Of Electro-immobilisation On Live Farm Animals In Ireland" by the Irish Minister's Scientific Advisory Committee on Animal Health and Welfare says:
"Since many sedative, anaesthetic and analgaesic options are in the gift of the veterinary profession there would appear to be no actual grounds for the continuing use of EI (electro-immobilisation) in Ireland"

This photo shows an animal's eye rolling back as electro-immobilisation is applied.

With regard to de-horning of cattle, there is no need for electro-immobilisation to be used. Instead, these animals could be disbudded when they are young calves, being easy to handle at this age.

Because electro-immobilisation renders the animal unable to move, there is a risk that unscrupulous people (not vets) could subject animals to painful procedures without the use of a local anasthetic or painkillers.

Further reading:

1. 'Proposed prohibition of the use of electro-immobilisation devices'. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, New Zealand. Public Discussion Paper No. 30 (Dec. 2002). Read this MAF New Zealand discussion paper on electro-immobilisation.

2. Dr. T. Grandin, Associate Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University, USA. Dr. Grandin is an recognised world authority on the handling of cattle. Read Dr. Grandin's view on electro-immobilisation.

HISTORY OF CAMPAIGN IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND TO BAN ELECTRO-IMMOBILISATION

(Electro-immobilisation became illegal in the Republic of Ireland on 1st September 2007.)
(alternate spellings: electroimmobilisation, electro immobilisation)

Introduction

Compassion in World Farming - Ireland welcomed the ban on electro-immobilisation in the Republic of Ireland, which came into force in 2007.

Electro-immobilisation is a procedure whereby an electrical current is run through an animal, using special equipment, to "freeze" the animal into a stationary position so that, for example, dehorning can be carried out. Throughout the electro-immobilisation procedure the animal is fully consious and can feel everything. However, the animal cannot move or cry out.

In the Republic of Ireland, electro-immobilisation was used by veterinarians to make animals that are hard to handle stay still while procedures such as dehorning are carried out. Even though a local anaesthetic must, by law, be used for some procedures, it is the electro-immobilisation process itself that animals find distressing. Non-veterinarians were also permitted to use electro-immobilisation. Prior to the ban, it was estimated that there were about 600 electro-immobilising machines in use in the Republic of Ireland.

Decision to ban electro-immobilisation

In April 2006, the then Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan announced that electro-immobilisation of live farm animals would become illegal from 1st June 2007. In the Department of Agriculture's Press Release, the Minister said that she has accepted the recommendation of her Scientific Advisory Committee on Animal Health and Welfare to prohibit the use of electro-immobilisation on live farm animals.

The ban was then deferred until 1st September 2007. This was to allow time for veterinarians and farmers to prepare for the ban, and also to allow time to raise awareness amongst farmers and others about the forthcoming change in the law.

The legislation that puts the ban on electro-immobilisation in place is: Statutory Instrument S.I. No. 197 of 2007 "Protection Of Animals Kept For Farming Purposes (Electro-immobilisation) Regulations 2007". The Explanatory Note in Statutory Instrument No. 197 says: "These Regulations ban the use of electro-immobilisation upon animals."

Compassion-Ireland congratulated the then Minister on her decision to ban electro-immobilisation. We view this ban on the inhumane practice of using electricity to restrain farm animals as a significant step forward for farm animal welfare. We note that electro-immobilisation is already illegal in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK.

Scientific Advisory Committee report

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Animal Health and Welfare produced its report, entitled The Use Of Electro-immobilisation On Live Farm Animals In Ireland, in March 2005.

In this report, the Scientific Advisory Committee looked at scientific literature relating to electro-immobilisation (EI) and concluded:

"On balance, the use of EI is very difficult to justify. It is quite a cruel form of restraint, causing distress and aversive reactions, and because it is meant for single-pass use may increase the likelihood of minor surgical procedures being carried out cruelly, i.e. without analgaesia, as animals will only be caught once."

The Scientific Advisory Committee recommended:

"Legislation to bar the use of EI in restraint of animals other than in slaughter plants post mortem."

The Committee pointed out that:

"Specific legislation could opt for an all-out ban, or could decide to leave its use in the hands of trained operators or veterinary professionals, so that its use could be permitted in certain circumstances. It is the opinion of the authors that this would leave little change in the status quo.

Since many sedative, anaesthetic and analgaesic options are in the gift of the veterinary profession there would apear to be no actual grounds for the continuing use of EI in Ireland."

Compassion-Ireland's campaign

Compassion-Ireland campaign to ban electro-immobilisation began in 2004. We called on the then Irish Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, (and the previous Minister, Joe Walsh) to totally ban the use of electro-immobilisation to restrain live consious animals in the Republic of Ireland, whether by veterinarians or laypeople, as a matter of great urgency. We argued that electro-immobilisation is a very inhumane method of restraint.

Advisory bodies

Concerns about electro-immobilisation were brought before the Minister's Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC) and Compassion-Ireland produced a discussion paper (see FAWAC Minutes, under Working Group on Medicines, e.g. 8th FAWAC meeting and 9th FAWAC meeting). The issue was then referred to the the Minister's Scientific Advisory Committee on Animal Health and Welfare, which produced a report entitled "Electro-immobilisation On Live Farm Animals In Ireland". This report recommended a ban on electro-immobilisation.

Why electro-immobilisation should be banned

The science shows that animals find electro-immobilisation aversive, physically stressful, psychologically stressful, noxious and unpleasant. See summary of the science and references above.

Compassion-Ireland is of the view that electro-immobilisation subjects animals to a totally unacceptable degree of stress. There is evidence that a small number of animals die as a result of electro-immobilisation, which can cause their breathing muscles to become paralised.

There is also a serious risk of misuse. Because electro-immobilisation renders the animal unable to move, there is a risk that animals could be subjected to painful procedures without use of local anasthetic.

With regard to de-horning of cattle, there is no need for electro-immobilisation to be used. Instead, these animals could be disbudded when they are young calves, being easy to handle at this age.

Electro-immobilisation is illegal in the UK.

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