Pre-slaughter handling and stunning are critical welfare points in pig production that require rigorous standards and enforcement to prevent unnecessary suffering.
Slaughter is the most concentrated welfare event in a pig's life. The combination of transport stress, lairage exposure to unfamiliar animals and environments, and stunning failure creates conditions for significant suffering in the minutes before death. CO2 stunning at the high concentrations used commercially is well-documented to cause distress before unconsciousness. Welfare at slaughter deserves the same attention and investment as welfare during the production period.