Farm Animals

Poultry Welfare at Stunning and Slaughter

Effective stunning is essential to prevent conscious suffering at poultry slaughter, but failures in electrical and gas systems cause preventable pain.

Key Facts

Water bath electrical stunning is used for the majority of commercially slaughtered poultry
Inadequate voltage causes immobilisation without unconsciousness in some birds
Controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) with inert gas mixtures reduces live shackling welfare concerns
Religious slaughter without stunning remains permitted with exemptions in UK and EU
CCTV in slaughterhouses has increased detection of welfare violations

Welfare Considerations

Slaughter welfare for poultry affects billions of animals annually. Improving stunning reliability and promoting high-welfare gas stunning methods are urgent priorities.

What You Can Do

Choose poultry certified under schemes requiring high-welfare stunning methods
Support mandatory CCTV and improved audit standards in slaughterhouses
Advocate for an end to exemptions from pre-slaughter stunning