The European Commission has adopted Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1734, amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing.
The regulation authorises the use of a non-penetrating captive bolt as a killing method for piglets with a live weight of up to 5 kg. For piglets weighing between 5 and 10 kg, it may be used as a simple stunning method, after which a separate killing procedure must be applied.
The regulation also establishes specific requirements for carrying out the procedure. The animal must be restrained, its head placed on a hard surface, and a single shot applied along the midline between the frontal and parietal bones.
Another newly authorised method is high-expansion nitrogen foam. It may be used to stun and kill pigs with a live weight of between 15 and 41 kg in situations other than routine slaughter.
For this purpose, the animals must be placed in specially designed containers and exposed for at least seven minutes to an atmosphere in which the residual oxygen concentration is below 2%.
The regulation sets out a range of technical parameters for the method, including requirements for the foam expansion ratio and homogeneity, container filling time, uniform foam distribution and animal stocking density.
The decision to approve the new methods is based on scientific opinions issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Experts concluded that, when used under the specified conditions, the methods provide a level of animal welfare at least equivalent to that achieved using currently authorised methods.
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1734 will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and will apply directly in all EU Member States.
PigUA.info, based on materials from 3tres3.com