The method and quality of stunning before poultry slaughter determines whether billions of birds lose consciousness before death, making it one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available.
The quality of stunning at slaughter is the single most consequential welfare decision in poultry production. A bird that enters the slaughter process conscious experiences acute fear and pain. Improving stunning consistency through controlled atmosphere systems and eliminating exemptions that permit conscious slaughter would reduce suffering for billions of animals annually.