Protecting animal welfare at slaughter is about minimising the pain, distress or suffering of farmed animals at the time of killing.

Staff at slaughterhouses must put a variety of procedures in place. For example, they must carry out regular checks to ensure that animals do not present any signs of consciousness or sensibility between the end of the stunning process and death. If animals are slaughtered without prior stunning, regular checks are needed to ensure that they do not show any signs of consciousness or sensibility before being released from restraint to undergo dressing or scalding.

The work of EFSA’s scientific experts contributes to better animal welfare at slaughterhouses in different ways. For example, they provide scientific advice on the indicators of consciousness or sensibility in animals or on studies on stunning methods.

EFSA supports national contact points in Member States by organising meetings where they can exchange their experiences and share knowledge about welfare at the time of killing.

Source: Efsa