Pig Stress at Slaughter: Welfare at the Final Stage

The slaughter process is a critical welfare moment for pigs. Pre-slaughter handling, stunning, and slaughter method all significantly affect the amount of fear and pain experienced.

Key Facts

Approximately 1.4 billion pigs are slaughtered globally each year
Pre-slaughter stress from transport, lairage, and handling causes measurable welfare harm before death
Carbon dioxide stunning — the most common method in industrial pig slaughter — causes pain and panic as pigs inhale CO2
Electrical stunning, when applied correctly, causes immediate unconsciousness without prior distress
High CO2 concentrations (>80%) cause aversion and extreme behavioral agitation before unconsciousness
Poorly applied electrical stunning causes painful electric shock without loss of consciousness

Welfare Considerations

The slaughter stage represents the final welfare experience of billions of pigs annually. CO2 stunning has been widely adopted for operational convenience despite clear evidence that high CO2 concentrations cause significant pain and distress before unconsciousness. Lower CO2 concentrations mixed with inert gases cause loss of consciousness more humanely but require modified equipment. Electrical head-to-back stunning, when correctly applied, provides immediate unconsciousness. Welfare-focused slaughter reform is technically achievable and represents a major opportunity to reduce suffering at scale.

What You Can Do

Support retailers and food companies that require higher welfare stunning standards from suppliers
Advocate for mandatory electrical or alternative stunning that avoids high-CO2 exposure
Choose meat from producers using higher animal welfare slaughter certification schemes
Support research into and adoption of low-atmospheric-pressure stunning as a CO2 alternative