Emergency slaughter of farm animals — due to injury, disease, or inability to transport — must be performed humanely to prevent prolonged suffering.
Emergency slaughter welfare is a gap in the welfare system that causes preventable suffering when animals requiring immediate euthanasia face delays. An injured cow that cannot be transported but cannot immediately be dispatched may suffer for hours if trained operators, firearms, or authorisations are unavailable. The welfare imperative is clear: animals that are suffering and have no prospect of recovery must be killed as quickly as possible. Welfare-conscious emergency protocols — training on-farm personnel in emergency dispatch methods, ensuring appropriate equipment is available, and streamlining authorisation processes for obvious emergency cases — reduce the time between welfare crisis and resolution.