The period between leaving the farm and slaughter is extremely stressful for pigs. Improving pre-slaughter handling dramatically reduces fear and suffering in the final hours of life.
The final hours of a pig's life can involve significant fear, pain, and stress if not managed carefully. Mixing unfamiliar pigs causes fighting and injury. Transport causes thermal stress, motion sickness, and exhaustion. Lairage in unfamiliar environments with strange sounds and smells is frightening for animals accustomed to farm routine. Electric goads cause pain and fear. Inadequate stunning before slaughter results in conscious animals experiencing death. Welfare improvements at slaughter including better handling training, mandatory CCTV, and effective inspection make a meaningful difference to millions of animals.