Third-party auditing of slaughterhouses has improved animal welfare compliance but significant gaps remain between audit performance and day-to-day practice.
Effective auditing is hampered by the announced nature of most inspections, allowing facilities to modify practices temporarily. The gap between audit performance and routine conditions represents a significant welfare problem affecting millions of animals. Stunning failures cause animals to experience full consciousness during slaughter, a severe welfare failure. The psychological and physical demands on slaughterhouse workers are associated with high turnover that perpetuates training gaps and welfare failures.