Pre-slaughter handling and the slaughter process itself are critical welfare moments for farmed animals. Understanding best practice and current failures enables meaningful advocacy for improvement.
Slaughter welfare is the final welfare moment in the lives of farmed animals and, for the tens of billions of animals slaughtered annually, it represents an important welfare intervention point. The goal is unconsciousness before the onset of death — achieved through effective stunning — followed by rapid death without regaining consciousness. Failures occur when stunning is ineffective, when animals regain consciousness before exsanguination, or when pre-slaughter handling causes significant distress, injury, or prolonged fear. CCTV monitoring has demonstrably improved compliance with welfare standards in countries where it is mandatory. Extending CCTV requirements, improving stunning equipment maintenance standards, and addressing the occupational welfare of slaughterhouse workers — whose distress is linked to higher rates of animal abuse — are priority interventions.