Slaughter represents the final welfare experience for billions of farm animals annually, and the effectiveness of stunning before killing is critical to minimizing suffering.
Poorly applied or failed stunning means animals regain consciousness during slaughter or are conscious throughout. In electrical water bath stunning for poultry, birds that miss the bath receive no stunning at all. Incorrect captive bolt placement requires repeat stunning. Monitoring by trained slaughterhouse official veterinarians is essential but not always effective given the speed of commercial slaughter lines. CCTV has improved accountability where mandatory, providing evidence of failures that would otherwise go undetected.