Pre-slaughter handling and stunning reliability in pig slaughter significantly affects the welfare of millions of pigs, with improvements in equipment and monitoring producing measurable outcomes.
Pig slaughter welfare depends on the cumulative quality of handling, transport, lairage management, stunning reliability and sticking procedures. Each phase can fail independently, and failures compound. CO2 stunning — chosen for throughput efficiency — causes clearly aversive responses before unconsciousness that would be unacceptable for other species under EU law. The persistence of CO2 stunning in major systems despite better alternatives illustrates how economic efficiency can override welfare considerations. CCTV monitoring provides accountability but cannot substitute for inherently more humane stunning methods.