The time pigs spend in lairage pens at slaughterhouses before slaughter has significant welfare implications, and conditions in this period can either minimise or compound the stress of transport.
Lairage welfare represents the final welfare opportunity before slaughter and is often poorly managed. The mixing of pigs from different transport vehicles in lairage pens triggers aggression that causes injuries and prolonged stress in the hours before slaughter. Pigs arrive at slaughterhouses already stressed from transport and are then subjected to additional social stress from mixing, inadequate rest, and unfamiliar environments. The physiological stress of lairage affects the biochemistry of slaughter, with highly stressed pigs more likely to produce poor quality meat and more likely to regain consciousness after stunning, compounding welfare failures. Welfare-conscious lairage management requires same-group penning, adequate resting time, thermal comfort, and water access.