The final moments of a farmed animal's life represent a critical welfare window, with evidence that handling, stunning, and slaughter methods significantly affect the quality of death experienced.
Slaughter welfare represents the final welfare moment for billions of animals annually, and the quality of that moment matters morally regardless of the life that preceded it. The welfare science on pre-slaughter handling and stunning is well-developed and shows clearly that stress during lairage and handling impairs stunning effectiveness, while low-stress approaches allow better physiological outcomes. Effective stunning renders animals insensible before slaughter, preventing the experience of the killing procedure. The welfare case for mandatory pre-slaughter stunning and independent monitoring of stunning effectiveness is strong and supported by decades of research.