Stunning before slaughter – meat

One way to follow up during the contract period  is to carry out spot checks on one or more occasions on the product for which the requirement has been set. The supplier can demonstrate that the product meets the requirement by, for example, presenting one of the following:

• Information about, or product label showing, the country in which the animal was slaughtered, such as Svenskt Sigill, Kött från Sverige, Från Sverige or the equivalent.
• Valid licence/certificate for labelling/certification that covers the requirement, such as the section on Slaughterhouses in IP Livsmedel Grundcertifiering, QS Slaughtering and Deboning, Global Red Meat Standard (GRMS), Beter Leven or an equivalent standard.
• Other documentation showing that the requirement is met.

You are encouraged to enlist the help of specialised expertise in your organisation for checking the submitted verification of compliance with the requirement. This could, for example, consist of an environmental or sustainability strategist with extensive knowledge in sustainability issues.

Provisions on how animals shall be protected during slaughter can be found in Council Regulation (EC) 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing. This regulation contains provisions regulating the design of slaughterhouses and the equipment they contain, and states that staff shall have the proper training and that animal shall be protected from pain and suffering in connection with slaughter. 

The requirement is designed to be applied for conventional commodities. The requirement need not be set when procuring organic items, since, in EU organic production, it is not permitted to slaughter animals without stunning, regardless of the country of production. This was established by the European Court of Justice in 2019 (see case C-497/17). EU organic certification and labelling that embraces the EU regulations for organic products, such as KRAV, can therefore be considered to meet the requirement. 

Council Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing states that animals shall be protected from unnecessary suffering and must be stunned before slaughter. Most member states grant exceptions from this rule in connection with cultural or religious slaughter. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are examples of member states that do not grant any exceptions. There is no obligation in the EU to label meat that comes from animals that are slaughtered without stunning.

There are other factors in connection with slaughter that can cause an animal to experience pain, stress, fear or other types of suffering. Correct handling and stunning before bleeding are therefore essential from an animal-welfare perspective. Correctly performed stunning causes an animal to become unconscious and therefore lose its ability to perceive pain and anxiety in connection with slaughter. The animal is first stunned and then killed by bleeding.

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.

2022-05-27, Requirement ID 10763: 1: The requirement has been given a new version number and changed its name from Slaughter method - meat products. Criteria text, motives and application have been reformulated for greater clarity. Origin Finland has been removed as verification. Origin Norway, IP Livsmedel, QS Slaughter and Deboning, Global Red Meat Standard (GRMS), Beter Leven have been added as vrifications. Suggestions for follow-up have been added. Chicken and Turkey are no longer covered by the requirement 2013-10-17, Requirement ID 10763: Original version