Defra has put the proposals out for consultation with the pig industry. The department notes that high-concentration CO₂ stunning is widely used in British abattoirs, but independent research indicates that it can cause significant pain and distress to animals.
The government is considering the use of argon and automated electrical stunning as possible alternatives. According to Defra, both technologies have the potential to substantially reduce animal suffering.
The Animal Welfare Committee, which advises the UK government, also supports a phase-out of CO₂ stunning. Its chair, Professor Madeleine Campbell, said that continuing to use high concentrations of CO₂ when lawful and more humane alternatives are available is unacceptable from an animal welfare perspective.
Industry Says Three-Year Transition Period Is Unrealistic
The UK National Pig Association (NPA) acknowledges the welfare concerns associated with CO₂ stunning but stresses that research and trials have so far failed to identify an alternative that both improves animal welfare and is economically and technically suitable for large-scale operations.
According to NPA Chief Executive Lizzie Wilson, the proposed two- to three-year transition period is unacceptably short. The industry will push for additional time to test technologies and for a full assessment of the consequences of the transition.
The NPA is also calling for the competitive impact of pork imports from countries where high-concentration CO₂ stunning remains permitted to be taken into account.
AHDB’s Pork Sector Council has expressed a similar view. Its chair, Glen Nimmo, said that the shortcomings of CO₂ stunning are widely recognised, but there is currently no certainty that the proposed alternatives can be effectively implemented at the scale required by modern meat-processing plants.
AHDB is proposing the creation of a cross-industry platform to identify and test new pre-slaughter stunning technologies. According to Nimmo, if the plan is implemented, the UK would become the first major pork-producing country to phase out CO₂ stunning.
PigUA.info, based on materials from foodagribusiness.world