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The scientific opinion is the latest in a series of updated assessments on animal welfare at slaughter requested by the European Commission. It proposes measures to address the welfare hazards most commonly associated with the slaughter of pigs for food production.
The comprehensive overview on pigs covers the slaughter process from arrival and unloading of pigs through stunning to bleeding and killing. It identifies a number of hazards that give rise to welfare issues – such as heat stress, thirst, prolonged hunger and respiratory distress – and proposes preventive and corrective measures where possible.
As with the previous opinion on poultry, most of the hazards – 29 out of 30 identified – are the consequence of staff failings due to factors such as lack of training and fatigue. Preventive measures can be put in place for all the hazards, EFSA says, with site management identified as having a crucial role to play in prevention.
EFSA Scientific Opinion: Welfare of pigs at slaughter
June 17, 2020/ EFSA/ European Union.
https://www.efsa.europa.eu
