Lairage — the holding area at abattoirs — represents a critical welfare point for pigs, with mixing, noise, temperature, and wait time all affecting welfare before slaughter.
Lairage welfare is often overlooked as a distinct welfare problem, sandwiched between the transport and stunning stages. Pigs arriving at abattoirs have already experienced transport stress and are then subjected to mixing with unfamiliar pigs, causing fierce fighting that results in significant injury and welfare harm in the final hours of life. Temperature management, short wait times, and segregation of groups from different farms substantially reduce lairage welfare impacts. Effective stunning requires unstressed pigs — connecting lairage welfare to slaughter humaneness creates a practical argument for welfare investment at this stage.