Farm Animal Welfare

Turkey Welfare at Slaughter Advanced

Turkey slaughter welfare involves specific challenges related to the species' size, behaviour, and the high throughput of commercial processing, requiring species-specific standards.

Key Facts

Turkeys are shackled and hung upside down before electrical stunning in most systems
Shackling causes acute pain and distress, particularly in heavy tom turkeys
Controlled atmosphere stunning using inert gases avoids the shackling welfare problem
Breast blisters from floor housing are common in heavy commercial turkeys
UK and EU turkey production volumes exceed 500 million birds annually

Welfare Considerations

Turkey slaughter welfare suffers from the application of chicken-designed systems to a larger, heavier species with different physiology. Species-specific stunning and handling methods, including controlled atmosphere systems that avoid shackling, offer significant welfare improvements for millions of turkeys.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards that mandate controlled atmosphere stunning for turkeys
Learn about the welfare challenges of turkey slaughter systems
Choose turkey products from certified higher-welfare systems