Three halal methods were used. In both Java and Sumatra, the most common method was to make the opening cut in the skin of the neck with reciprocating cuts which extended to the underlying soft tissues including the carotid arteries. In Java, an alternative method was to use the tip of the knife to pierce the skin in the side of the neck and then draw the blade as a single sweep through the skin and soft tissues which included the carotid arteries. The third method, which was only seen in Sumatra, used the knife as a cleaver to make an opening cut in the skin with a single chopping action. This was followed by reciprocating lateral cuts to sever the soft tissues including the carotid arteries.
The number of cuts varied considerably between slaughter premises. Twelve animals received only one cut, and on average there were 4.5 cuts (± 4.5 sd), but in one animal there were 18. In all animals both carotid arteries were completely severed. At one slaughter premises the cuts were made in the ventral aspect of the neck at a position corresponding to C1. All the cattle at the other premises were cut in the neck at the level of C2 to C4. Combining the data for all abattoirs, in 29% of the arteries (in 48% of the cattle) there was arrest of blood flow from the severed ends of the carotid arteries within 60 s of cutting the neck.