Farm Animals

Pig Pre-Slaughter Lairage Welfare

The lairage period before slaughter creates significant welfare challenges for pigs including mixing, fasting, and noise stress.

Key Facts

Pigs may spend up to 24 hours in lairage before slaughter in some systems
Mixing unfamiliar pigs in lairage causes fighting, wounds, and stress
Fasting before slaughter reduces contamination risk but increases hunger stress
Noise levels in abattoir lairage often exceed thresholds known to cause stress
Quiet, dim lighting and anti-slip flooring significantly reduce pre-slaughter stress

Welfare Considerations

Pigs experiencing prolonged, stressful lairage suffer from hunger, fear, wounds from fighting, and anticipatory stress. Improving lairage design and management reduces suffering in the final hours of pigs' lives.

What You Can Do

Support pork from abattoirs with certified higher welfare lairage standards
Advocate for lairage standards including mixing restrictions and noise limits
Choose pork from farms that deliver pigs to abattoirs minimizing lairage time