Industrial Poultry Stunning and Pre-Slaughter Welfare

Stunning methods used before poultry slaughter vary widely in efficacy and welfare outcome, with millions of birds incompletely stunned annually.

Key Facts

Water bath electrical stunning is the dominant method in most countries for poultry slaughter
Approximately 50 to 70 million chickens per year in the EU are inadequately stunned before slaughter
Controlled atmosphere killing (CAK) using gas mixtures is considered more humane than water bath stunning
Religious exemptions allow unstunned slaughter in many countries for halal and kosher production
Pre-slaughter stress from live shackling causes pain and fear in birds before stunning occurs

Welfare Considerations

The scale of inadequate stunning in poultry slaughter is an enormous welfare concern. Birds that are not effectively stunned before neck-cutting experience a painful death. Transitioning to controlled atmosphere systems eliminates pre-slaughter handling stress and the risk of inadequate stunning simultaneously, but requires infrastructure investment.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns advocating for controlled atmosphere stunning to replace water bath systems
Advocate for the elimination of religious exemptions from stunning requirements through dialogue with religious communities
Choose poultry from producers certified under standards that specify and verify stunning method