The pre-slaughter period including loading, transport, lairage, and stunning represents a critical welfare window where significant suffering can occur or be prevented.
The pre-slaughter period concentrates multiple welfare stressors - social disruption from unfamiliar pigs, novel aversive environments, handling by unfamiliar humans, vehicle transport with vibration and temperature fluctuation, and lairage holding before slaughter. Each of these stressors is measurable through cortisol, behavior, and physiological indicators. High-CO2 stunning, while widely used, causes distress during the induction phase as pigs experience breathlessness before losing consciousness. Welfare-centered pre-slaughter management including appropriate stocking during transport, minimal electric goad use, and improved stunning methods can substantially reduce suffering during this critical period. The irony is that welfare improvements in pre-slaughter handling also improve meat quality, aligning producer economic interests with animal welfare.