Slaughter is the final welfare event for farm pigs and significant suffering can occur if stunning or handling procedures are inadequate.
Slaughter represents a concentrated welfare challenge where failures cause acute suffering for millions of animals. Carbon dioxide stunning, despite being widely used, causes observable distress in the induction phase before unconsciousness. High-speed lines create conditions where stunning errors occur and may go undetected. Post-stunning regain of consciousness before bleeding causes extreme suffering. Well-designed systems with lower line speeds, trained staff, and systematic unconsciousness verification significantly reduce welfare failures at slaughter. Consumers and policymakers rarely consider slaughter conditions, making it one of the least visible but most impactful welfare issues in meat production.