Poultry slaughter welfare has improved significantly through better stunning technology and monitoring. Understanding current standards and remaining gaps guides continued advocacy.
Poultry slaughter welfare improvement is one of the highest-impact areas in farm animal welfare given the scale of birds processed. The transition from water bath to controlled atmosphere killing systems represents a significant welfare advance - eliminating the stress of conscious shackling, inverted suspension, and pre-stun electric shock. The challenge is that capital investment requirements create financial barriers to adoption, particularly for smaller abattoirs. Regulatory requirements and financial support for the transition would accelerate welfare improvements for hundreds of millions of birds.