The Government has set out further details of a proposal that would affect meat products sold by major UK supermarkets, including Tesco, Morrisons and Asda. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) says the change would deliver a "significant improvement" to UK food.
Members of the public are being invited to comment on plans to phase out the use of carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs at UK slaughterhouses and knacker's yards. The consultation states that using carbon dioxide in this way causes considerable suffering to the animals.
Why the ban is being proposed
The consultation introduction reads: "The evidence that carbon dioxide gas stunning causes significant pain, suffering and distress to pigs at the time of killing is well known."
It adds: "There is now clear evidence that alternative permitted stunning methods, such as the use of inert gases, will significantly reduce these welfare issues for pigs. We believe that a ban on carbon dioxide stunning of pigs in slaughterhouses and knacker's yards would result in a significant improvement to pig welfare at the time of killing, and that the transition away from carbon dioxide stunning should be managed in a way that allows the industry to make the necessary technological changes to convert current systems and maintain economic viability."
Scale of the practice
Around 90 per cent of pigs in the UK are stunned using carbon dioxide before slaughter, with roughly 10 to 11 million pigs slaughtered each year. All major UK supermarkets sell meat products produced this way, including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Lidl, Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose.
The RSPCA has long campaigned for the practice to be banned. Thomas Schultz-Jagow, the RSPCA's director of advocacy and prevention, said: "Every year, millions of pigs suffer distress and pain when slaughtered using CO2, so this is a critical welfare issue."
He added: "No one wants to think about animals being slaughtered, but we cannot ignore how the food on our plates is produced, or we have no hope of progressing farmed animal welfare. Pigs are sentient and intelligent animals and deserve a good quality life and a humane death. We welcome the Government's commitment to end this slaughter method and we will work with them to drive this critical change forward to improve the welfare of pigs as soon as possible."
How to respond
In responding to the consultation, people can indicate they do not want the rules to change or that they would like carbon dioxide stunning banned. Defra has set out models for both a two-year and a three-year transition to outlawing the practice, and respondents can state which they would prefer.
The consultation will run until December 21. Anyone can submit their views, including those working in the farming industry, retailers and individual consumers. Responses can be given via the Defra website, by email to aw.slaughter@defra.gov.uk, or in writing to the Carbon Dioxide Stunning of Pigs Consultation, Farm Animal Welfare Team, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Seacole Building 2nd Floor, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF.
