Stunning at the time of slaughter - chicken and turkey

Level: Core

A slaughter method that involves stunning the animal at slaughter is very important from an animal welfare standpoint. The general rule in the EU is that animals shall be stunned before slaughter, but Member States may allow exceptions for religious or cultural reasons. Most Member States allow such exemptions, but Sweden, for example, does not.

Details

Type:: Technical specification
ID:: 10418:3
Group:: Turkey
Swedish:: Bedövning vid slakt - kyckling, kalkon, höns

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Criterion text

Chicken, turkey and hen raw materials shall come from animals that have been fully stunned when bled and remain completely unconscious until death. Electrical stunning and stunning with carbon dioxide or inert gases (nitrogen and/or argon) are permitted stunning methods for the slaughter of poultry.

Electrical stunning
For individual electrical stunning of poultry, where the electrodes are placed on both sides of the head, the current shall be at least 0.5 Ampere for poultry with a body weight of more than 2.5 kg and at least 0.3 amps for other poultry. The current shall be maintained until the animal is stunned.

For electrical stunning with the head passing through a water bath, the current for each animal shall be at least 0.12 amps for chickens and laying hens, using 50–200 Hz alternating current. For turkeys, the current for each animal shall be at least 0.25 amps at frequencies below 200 Hz; the current shall be at least 0.40 Ampere at frequencies between 200 and 1500 Hz. The current shall be maintained until the animal is stunned.

Carbon dioxide stunning
In the case of carbon dioxide stunning, the carbon dioxide concentration shall be recorded at a level that makes it possible to check that the concentration and period used are sufficient to render the animals completely unconscious. Stunning shall be carried out in at least two phases. The carbon dioxide concentration shall not exceed 40 per cent at the onset of exposure, followed by a higher concentration when the animals have lost consciousness.

Verification

The supplier shall be able to provide one of the following on request, for example:

Valid licence/certificate for the following label/certification or equivalent certification
- Svensk Fågel
Audit report.
Certificate of compliance verified by an accredited verification body.

Proposed follow-up

It may be appropriate to prioritise the monitoring of raw material from chickens, turkeys and hens where slaughter, in accordance with the requirement, is not already regulated in national legislation.
In Sweden, this is regulated in

Chapter 5(1–2) of the Animal Welfare Act (2018:1192)
Chapter 5(1–3) of the Animal Welfare Ordinance (2019:66)
The Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations and general recommendations (SJVFS 2020:22) amending the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations and general recommendations on the slaughter and other killing of animals (SJVFS 2019:8).
Annex 1 of Council Regulation EC 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing.

This requirement can be followed up by carrying out a spot check. This can be done, for example, by checking one of the following:

Certification
If the requirement has been verified by means of a certification, follow-up is possible by checking that there is a valid certificate for the product. This is checked on the website of the relevant labelling organisation, such as Svensk fågel.

Audit report, slaughterhouse records
If the requirement has been verified by means of an audit report, a certificate of inspection by an accredited certification body or a record/log from the slaughterhouse, follow up the requirement by ensuring that the documentation shows that stunning has taken place in accordance with the requirement.
The European Chicken Commitment, which comes into force in 2026, currently only allows for carbon dioxide stunning.

Motive

In Sweden, slaughter shall be preceded by stunning. Religious slaughter is only permitted in Sweden if the animals are stunned before slaughter. Sweden applies higher currents than the EU-wide rules for electrical stunning when killing poultry. Provisions on slaughter taking place in Sweden can be found in Chapter 5(1–2) of the Animal Welfare Act (2018:1192), Chapter 5(1–3) of the Animal Welfare Ordinance (2019:66) and the Swedish Board of Agriculture's regulations and general recommendations (SJVFS 2020:22) amending the Swedish Board of Agriculture's regulations and general recommendations on the slaughter and other killing of animals (SJVFS 2019:8).

Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing states that “The protection of animals at the time of slaughter or killing is a matter of public concern that affects consumer attitudes towards agricultural products”. Stunning halts the electrical impulses from damaged tissue before they reach the brain. This prevents the conscious perception of pain for the animal while it is being killed. Moreover, better animal welfare at the time of slaughter helps to reduce animal pain, fear or other forms of suffering. Some procedures in connection with killing can be stressful, and all stunning techniques have certain disadvantages. Companies or any individuals involved in the killing of animals shall take the necessary action to avoid pain and minimise animal suffering during slaughter and killing, considering best practice in the field and permitted methods.

Versions history

The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.

Current ID: 10418:3
Version date: 2023-04-18

2023-04-18, Krav ID 10418:3: The requirement include hens. This is now a base requirement, was an advanced requirement earlier. Requirement text updated to harmonize with Swedish regulation and EU regulation. Updated proposal for evidence. 2018-10-01, Krav ID: 10418:2: Name changed from Stunning methods to Stunning at the time of slaughter. Added: "Products of..." Allowed stunning methods and criterion for stunning with carbon dioxide. Monitoring suggestions.2016-12-19, Krav ID: 10418:1: Changed level from core to advanced, specified current intensity and frequency