Slaughter Welfare Global Standards

Pre-slaughter stunning and welfare standards vary enormously globally. International harmonisation would improve welfare for billions of animals.

Key Facts

The OIE terrestrial animal health code provides international guidance on slaughter welfare
Many countries lack mandatory pre-slaughter stunning requirements
Religious exemptions to stunning requirements exist in many developed countries including the UK
Halal and kosher slaughter without stunning are practiced at significant scale globally
The EFSA has assessed slaughter without stunning as causing greater welfare harm than stunned slaughter
Several EU countries including Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland have banned slaughter without stunning
The UK government declined to ban unst stunned slaughter post-Brexit despite scientific recommendations

Welfare Considerations

Slaughter welfare represents one of the most significant and most tractable areas for global welfare improvement. Pre-slaughter stunning dramatically reduces suffering at the moment of death for billions of animals annually. International standards that make effective stunning the global norm would reduce suffering on an enormous scale. Religious and cultural exemptions are a genuine complicating factor requiring respectful but evidence-based engagement in policy discussions.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for mandatory pre-slaughter stunning in all commercial slaughter in the UK
Ask meat suppliers about their slaughter welfare standards including stunning requirements
Choose meat from suppliers that can confirm pre-slaughter stunning in their supply chains
Engage respectfully with religious communities on slaughter welfare through dialogue rather than confrontation