How to stun / kill rabbits on-farm.
Date: 2019-08-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety
Subjects: food safety, rabbit, slaughter of animals, veterinary legislation

HOW TO STUN / KILL RABBITS ON-FARM

Rabbits unable to be transported or failing to thrive must be killed on-farm. They may also be killed  on-farm to supply meat directly 
to consumers or retailers. Prior stunning is compulsory in all cases. Stun and kill them as quickly as possible so that death is painless. 
This information does not override national rules that forbid or restrict any of these practices.
Stunning and killing must be carried out by workers with an appropriate level of competence.

ABOUT RABBITS

 T     In case of fear, pain or stress, rabbits tend to ‘freeze’, 

i.e. not showing any visible reaction

 T Handle agitated rabbits with care to avoid injury to 

rabbit or handler

 T  Lift by scruff of neck or skin over shoulders 
(never lift by the ears − they are sensitive)

STUNNING / KILLING
Good handling and restraining are vital for 
effective stunning. Once a rabbit is restrained, 
you can consider the following methods.

position 
of the gun

non-slip flooring

back-stop

1. PENETRATIVE / NON-PENETRATIVE CAPTIVE BOLT

A penetrative captive bolt is fired through the skull into the 
brain. A non-penetrative captive bolt strikes the forehead 
without penetrating the skull. After stunning rabbits, 
bleed within 10 seconds so they don’t suffer. 

Restrain and position
 T  Place rabbit on non-slip flooring with a backstop 

so it can’t back away

 T  Hold it down with one hand by its neck and shoulders, 
with your thumb and index finger on either side of 
the rabbit’s neck

 T Operate the gun with your other hand

Parameters
 T Read the manufacturer’s instructions to be sure 

the captive bolt is appropriate for rabbits

 T  Penetrative captive bolts should be at least 6 mm 

in diameter

Health and 
Food Safety

2. HEAD-ONLY ELECTRICAL STUNNING

3. PERCUSSIVE BLOW TO HEAD

This method will not kill the rabbit. After stunning, bleed 
the rabbit within 10 seconds so that it doesn’t suffer.

Used correctly, this method kills.  
You may kill no more than 70 rabbits per day with this method. 

Prepare the equipment
 T Wet the areas of the rabbit’s head where the electrodes 

will be applied

 T  Wear rubber gloves and boots

Position the rabbit
 T  Supporting the rabbit’s belly or holding its hind legs 
with one hand, guide the head by holding ears with 
your other hand

 T  Alternatively, hold both back legs of the rabbit with one 
hand while your other hand guides the head by holding 
the ears

 T  Place the electrodes between the outer corners of its 
eyes and the base of its ears, away from the nose

Position the rabbit
 T Hold the rabbit by its hind legs
 T  Use a heavy but easy-to-handle object (e.g. club, iron piping)
 T  Hit the rabbit on top of its head, just behind the ears

Check for consciousness
Make sure rabbits are unconscious before bleeding. Check for:

 no blinking (spontaneous 
or when eyes are touched)

no attempt 
to stand / lift its head

no noise

no regular 
breathing

 no response to pinching /  
pricking of nose / toe / ear

 stiff / extended legs 
followed by  
twitching / kicking

AFTER STUNNING
If the rabbit is still conscious
 T Don’t bleed
 T Stun again with a back-up method
 T  See what went wrong
 T  Correct any problems before resuming stunning 

Confirm the death, check for:
 T No spontaneous movement
 T No response to pinching / pricking 

of nose / toe / ear

 T  Limp / permanently collapsed body
 T Dilated pupils
 T  No noise / panting
 T  No breathing
 T  No heartbeat
 T  No bleeding

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Check the parameters

RECOMMENDED PARAMETERS FOR ELECTRICAL STUNNING / KILLING

Voltage (volts – V)

Current (milliamperes - mA) Frequency (hertz - Hz)

Duration (seconds)

100-117

140-400

50

1-3

Luxembourg: Publications Oﬃce of the European Union, 2018
© European Union, 2018  
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Belgium.

For more information see,  
http://europa.eu/!KX74dw (English only)

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