Hundreds of millions of poultry are slaughtered daily worldwide, making slaughter welfare a numerically critical animal welfare issue. The effectiveness of stunning methods and the risk of birds regaining consciousness before death are central welfare concerns.
Poultry slaughter at scale presents concentrated welfare challenges that are difficult to appreciate in the abstract. In conventional water-bath stunning plants, birds are shackled upside down while fully conscious — a terrifying position for a prey animal — before passing through the water bath stunner. The multi-bird bath system means that birds of different sizes may not receive effective electrical contact, leaving some to undergo neck cutting while still conscious. Controlled atmosphere systems that render birds unconscious before shackling and cutting represent a significant welfare improvement, as they eliminate the fear and pain associated with shackling, the risk of pre-stun shocks, and the possibility of inadequate stunning. Consumer and retailer pressure for gas-stunned poultry has been one of the most effective welfare campaigns in food system advocacy.