Slaughterhouse welfare covers the final hours of farm animals from lairage through stunning and killing. Understanding what happens and how it can be improved is essential for welfare advocacy.
Slaughterhouse welfare problems cluster around several points. Lairage conditions including overcrowding, unfamiliar animals, and noise cause measurable stress before stunning. Stunning failures — estimated at 1-3% for electrical stunning in some audits — mean some animals are slaughtered while conscious. Handling practices including excessive use of electric prods cause unnecessary fear and pain during movement. Religious slaughter without prior stunning causes a period of consciousness and pain before loss of sensation. CCTV monitoring has improved slaughter welfare in England but is not yet universal. Controlled atmosphere killing produces better welfare outcomes than electrical stunning for pigs and poultry but requires capital investment.