Slaughterhouse welfare is a critical but often overlooked component of farm animal welfare, with the humaneness of stunning and slaughter methods varying enormously between species, facilities, and countries.
Slaughter welfare depends on correct stunning delivery, appropriate equipment maintenance, and skilled operatives. Failures in any of these elements result in animals regaining consciousness before or during bleeding. Poultry electric water bath stunning is particularly problematic because birds must be shackled upside down conscious, causing significant distress before the stun. High-throughput slaughter lines increase the risk of errors under time pressure. Pre-slaughter stress from transport, lairage conditions, and handling significantly affects the welfare experience of animals in their final hours of life.