Farmed Pig Slaughter Plant Welfare Audit

Welfare at pig slaughter plants involves multiple sequential welfare events that require systematic monitoring and audit to ensure minimum suffering standards are maintained.

Key Facts

Pig welfare at slaughter encompasses lairage conditions, handling and movement, stunning effectiveness, and the interval between stunning and sticking (killing).
Carbon dioxide stunning of pigs in commercial slaughter plants involves exposure to CO2 concentrations that cause excitatory aversion before loss of consciousness.
High-concentration CO2 stunning is the industry standard in most countries, but welfare concerns about the aversive phase drive research into alternatives including inert gas mixtures.
Stunning validity - whether animals remain unconscious until death - must be monitored continuously, as inadequate stun depths allow return to consciousness.
CCTV in slaughter plants, now required in UK approved premises, has been shown to improve compliance with animal welfare regulations through observation and deterrence.

Welfare Considerations

Pig slaughter welfare involves the compounding of multiple welfare events in rapid succession: transport arrival stress, lairage conditions, CO2 pre-stunning exposure, stunning procedure, and the interval to bleeding. Each step has welfare significance and the overall welfare cost of the slaughter process depends on how well each is managed. The aversive phase of CO2 stunning - where pigs show active escape attempts and vocalization before losing consciousness - is a recognized welfare concern for which better alternatives exist but have not yet been implemented at scale. Continuous monitoring of stunning effectiveness and immediate response to failures is essential to prevent return to consciousness after stunning.

What You Can Do

Support mandatory CCTV in all slaughter plants with independent access for welfare enforcement.
Advocate for research funding into alternatives to CO2 stunning for pigs.
Engage with welfare certification schemes that include third-party slaughter plant audit requirements.
Support Animal Aid and other organizations working to improve slaughter plant welfare monitoring.