The welfare of pigs during slaughter is significantly affected by stunning method and quality, with carbon dioxide stunning in particular raising serious welfare concerns despite its widespread industrial use.
Pig slaughter welfare is dominated by the CO2 stunning question, which represents a tension between operational convenience and animal welfare. CO2 stunning is widely used because it requires minimal animal handling — pigs walk into the gondola voluntarily — but the process causes a period of distress that is clear and well-documented in the behavioral evidence. The welfare-preferred alternative — electrical stunning — requires individual animal contact but produces immediate unconsciousness. The commercial pressure to maintain high throughput creates resistance to transitions that require more animal handling time. Consumer and regulatory pressure on this specific welfare issue is the most direct lever for change.