Electrical water bath stunning effectiveness varies with current parameters; ensuring adequate stunning before shackling and killing is the primary slaughter welfare challenge in poultry.
Slaughter welfare in poultry is determined primarily by the effectiveness of the stunning event. Water bath systems that deliver insufficient current, or that are circumvented by birds with raised heads, fail to achieve unconsciousness before killing - a welfare failure affecting millions of birds. Post-stun regaining of consciousness before death is also documented. The combination of better stunner calibration, CCTV monitoring, staff training, and transition to controlled atmosphere systems addresses these failures at different points in the slaughter process. The welfare stakes are high: effective stunning converts death from a conscious to an unconscious event for billions of animals annually.