Firstly, it's not a CSIRO report. It is a report for the University of Malaysia.
Try again, you've got that wrong too. Here's the background to the trial; and it was actually for Jakim. Jakim initiated the study through the CSIRO, MLA funded and published the results, CSIRO conducted the study with the assistance of researchers at the Universty of Malaysia. I'm sure you caught the part where the application to the AEC for permission to conduct the study was made by the CSIRO and not the University of Malaysia. There are a number of studies where CSIRO and MLA have partnered such as this one.
What are you looking for? Well there's a host of information for you in the report, or given the link was provided specifically to support my claim that unstunned animals can experience conscious pain for up to 30 seconds, perhaps you could start there.
Research
Researchers at the Universiti Putra Malaysia approached CSIRO and MLA with a proposal to compare different methods of slaughter in terms of physiological stress, Electroencephalogram (EEG) changes and meat quality. Most of the published work on slaughter using different stunning and sticking methods focuses on individual aspects of animal welfare or meat quality. This study aimed to provide a comparative analysis of the effects of penetrative stunning, non-penetrative stunning, post-slaughter stunning and sticking by the 'thoracic' method versus non-thoracic sticking on physiological and biochemical parameters associated with stress in animals, and on meat quality.
The overall aims of project P.PIP.0197 and its associated communication project A.MFS.0167 were to:
- Evaluate the effects of stunning, slaughter and thoracic stick (according to Halal standards) on physiological stress reactions, cessation of vital functions (brain and heart electrical activities) and meat quality in beef cattle.
- Collect information to support application to JAKIM relating to halal slaughter procedures to be used in Australian meat processing plants
CSIRO hosted a visiting researcher from the Universiti Putra Malaysia for a period of 6 months in 2009 in order to facilitate sample collection. The study was carried out in a commercial abattoir. Ten animals were assigned to each treatment group (Unstunned, neck stick only; Penetrative stun with neck stick; Low Power Percussive Stun with neck stick; High Power Percussive Stun with neck stick; Penetrative stun with neck stick followed by thoracic stick 2 minutes later; Low Power Percussive stun with neck stick followed by thoracic stick 2 minutes later). For each animal, blood samples were taken before stun/slaughter; after stun (if applicable); after neck stick; after thoracic stick (if applicable), and tested for a range of plasma metabolites involved in the stress response; EEG traces were taken by telemetric means throughout the slaughter process and for up to 4 minutes after slaughter; and samples oflongissimus dorsi and semitendinosus muscles were taken from the hot carcase, 45 minutes after slaughter, for assessment of meat quality attributes over 2 weeks of storage. The results were analysed by researchers at the Universiti Putra Malaysia.