The manual electric stunner ‘Le Rêve’ does not cause immediate loss of consciousness, without causing pain, as required by Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009. The voltage of the stunning device (90V) is far too low, resulting in the mandatory amperage (for head stunning chickens this is 240mA) only to be reached after a few seconds. As a result, the birds are exposed to inadequately low currents for several seconds, which is known to be extremely painful. Another issue with the Le Rêve device is that the birds must be pulled into a V-shaped gap (with small spikes); this can be very painful.
Eyes on Animals findings are confirmed by several stunning experts and authorities from both The Netherlands and Germany. Reports from the Canadian government also show that the Le Rêve device does not stun birds properly.
Eyes on Animals repeatedly shared their concerns with the company ‘FAF’ that produces the Le Rêve devices. FAF however denies that there are any welfare concerns and hides behind the officials who have approved their devices. We have asked FAF to share with us the ‘certificate of approval’ for their devices and contact details of the officials. To date, FAF has failed to respond.
Stunning much better than breaking the neck
Eyes on Animals encourages slaughterers, farmers, and transporters to use manual stunners so injured or sick animals can be relieved quickly from their suffering. Nowadays these animals are often killed by breaking their necks (manual or with pliers). This is called cervical dislocation. It is a big misunderstanding that breaking the neck provides immediate death or loss of senses. Breaking the neck of an animal that is fully conscious causes extreme pain, which can last for tens of seconds. For this reason, Germany has banned cervical dislocation. Unfortunately, The Netherlands lags behind.
We recommend companies or individuals seeking for a manual stunner to make sure a good quality one is purchased and NOT to purchase a device from Le Rêve. Below you will find a list of good alternatives.
Good manual stunners
Manual electric stunner:
- Federleicht: http://www.federleichtgmbh.de/. This stunner has really good documentation of parameters like amperage, volt, frequency, ohm. With an additional device it can also be used for turkeys.
- Westerhoff Geflügeltechniek: https://www.gefluegeltechnik.com/produkt/btg/
Captive bolt stunners (without cartridges)
- Zephyr device: http://www.bock-industries.com/zephyr.html
- Ted device: http://www.bock-industries.com/ted.html. This device is portable.
Nitrogen-foam stunning:
- Box of Anoxia: https://heftinternational.com/on-farm/
