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breathing ended between 22 and 90 seconds post cut, whereby it lasted for overall 5 to 50 seconds. In a plant with very skilled staff regular breathing returned for two third of the sheep and stopped on average 35 seconds post cut (n = 90). Gasps occurred after the end of regular breathing but also for those animals, which did not express regular breathing. Eye reflexes after slaughter without stunning as well as respiratory gasps do not indicate consciousness as they can still be present when there is an isoelectric EEG (Blackmore and Newhook, 1983; Newhook and Blackmore, 1982a). Regular breathing can be present as well in unconscious animals. Nevertheless it may signify that the threshold towards consciousness is not that far away. Regular breathing can also indicate resurgence of consciousness, if bleeding was insufficient. The time interval between the cut and final full dilatation of pupils as an indicator for brain death was measured between 56 and 114 seconds for sheep and between 200 and 435 seconds for calves, with satisfactory severance of exteriorised vessels. In calves the interval was between 430 and 455 seconds with severed but fully or partly occluded exteriorised vessels. In a calf and a bull the interval was between 140 and 415 seconds after ventral neck cut (Blackmore, 1984). Before the final pupil dilatation, nystagmus of the eyeball could be noticed. For example during a Dialrel spot visit, nystagmus was noticed in cattle 97 seconds after the cut, and in some animals there was turning back of the eyeball. The meaning of both of these signs in relation to consciousness cannot be clearly defined. Onset of hypoxaemic clonic convulsions was measured subsequent to definite pupil dilatation between 68 and 158 seconds post cut in sheep after severance of exteriorised vessels and at 160 and 440 seconds post cut in a calf and a bull after ventral neck cut (Blackmore, 1984). According to Levinger (1976) convulsions started on average 28 seconds after the Shechita cut (range: 15 to 60 seconds) and lasted between 150 and 240 seconds. Anoxic convulsions, caused by loss of inhibitory influences from higher centres of the brain operating in the caudal reticular formation occur when ischaemia or hypoxaemia are induced resulting in isoelectric EEG or when the brain is disconnected from the body (e.g. following slaughter or decapitation) (Gregory, 1987a). In meat chicken after kosher slaughter Barnett et al. (2007) observed the final convulsions very close to loss ability to retain a standing posture. In the Dialrel WP2 spot visits onset of clonic convulsions was recorded between 72 and 173 seconds post cut in cattle and between 90 and 120 seconds post cut in sheep and goats respectively. Sometimes no convulsions were noticed but only a stretching or shivering movement of the body. Anecdotal experience of slaughtermen reflects that animals with very pronounced muscles tend to show stronger movements than others. The major challenge for the evaluation of the post cut period with regard to animal welfare is to define clear clinical indicators for the time point where animals become irreversibly unconscious after slaughter without stunning. Many parameters are used to describe consciousness and unconsciousness (see chapter 2.6 and table 1), but only few can be applied for slaughter without stunning. Time to loss of posture for example will not be of value for animals in recumbent position and animals in close restraint. As for the evaluation of stunning, it will be necessary to describe as well a standard for optimum slaughter without stunning as indicators for missing this standard. Concerning activity of the brain stem like rhythmic breathing or positive reflex responses, scientific evidence gives certain patterns but the temporal sequence cannot be defined clearly for the setting of standards to date. However if rhythmic breathing does not cease at all, this will indicate failure of quick and permanent loss of consciousness after slaughter without stunning. The same will apply for other brain stem reflexes as well. Clinical indicators for consciousness are coordinated attempts to rise or to regain normal body posture or if the animal’s eyes focus on stimuli from the surrounding and follow them (eye