Slaughter plants provide a unique welfare monitoring opportunity and measuring outcomes such as lairage bruising, stunning failure and handling injuries delivers farm-level welfare intelligence.
Welfare failures at slaughter including inadequate stunning, prolonged lairage without water, and injuries from rough handling cause unnecessary suffering during the final hours of an animal's life. Systematic monitoring and feedback systems create accountability and drive improvement. Key welfare priorities include effective training of slaughter plant operatives, regular equipment maintenance and calibration, and transparent public reporting of welfare outcomes.