Poultry Slaughter Welfare and Pre-Stun Systems

Pre-slaughter stunning is critical to chicken and turkey welfare at slaughter, but current electrical water bath systems have significant welfare limitations.

Key Facts

Around 1 billion chickens are slaughtered annually in the UK
Water bath electrical stunning requires birds to be shackled upside down while conscious
Shackling conscious birds causes significant pain and distress for up to 2 minutes
Controlled atmosphere killing (CAK) using CO2 or inert gas eliminates live shackling
Halal and Kosher slaughter without pre-stunning is permitted in some jurisdictions

Welfare Considerations

Conventional electrical water bath stunning requires live birds to be suspended upside down, transported to the stunner, and immersed in electrified water — all while fully conscious. Shackling injuries are common and the duration of conscious shackling is a significant welfare cost. Controlled atmosphere systems kill birds at floor level with no shackling of conscious birds. The welfare transition to CAK represents one of the most impactful improvements available in commercial poultry slaughter.

What You Can Do

Support retailers transitioning to higher-welfare slaughter methods
Advocate for a phase-out of live electrical water bath stunning in favour of CAK
Ask food companies about their poultry slaughter welfare standards
Support regulatory requirements for CAK as standard slaughter method
Choose poultry from suppliers with publicly stated slaughter welfare policies